If you were captivated by the intense, suspenseful storytelling and stark, wintry setting of the 2017 neo-western crime drama Wind River, you may be craving more movies that deliver a similar viewing experience. Wind River followed a wildlife officer and FBI agent investigating a murder on a Native American reservation, delving into heavy themes with a grim, unflinching realism.
The film’s complex characters, layered mystery, and bleak, unforgiving backdrop made for a unique and memorable thriller. For those seeking more dark, gripping movies in the same vein, here are the 15 best movies like Wind River to add to your watchlist.
1. Hell or High Water (2016)
Directed by David Mackenzie, Hell or High Water is a neo-western heist thriller about two brothers who resort to bank robbery to save their family ranch, while being pursued by a clever Texas Ranger on the brink of retirement. Like Wind River, it’s a slow-burn mystery set in a rural, forgotten pocket of America that feels both modern and old-fashioned.
Hell or High Water delivers a character-driven story that is equal parts suspenseful and poignant, anchored by powerhouse performances from Chris Pine, Ben Foster, and Jeff Bridges. Its exploration of desperation, morality, brotherly bonds, and the dying way of life in small-town West Texas is sure to resonate with fans of Wind River‘s rich themes and complex characters.
2. Sicario (2015)
Sicario, directed by Denis Villeneuve, is an intense, gritty thriller about an idealistic FBI agent (Emily Blunt) who is recruited to a covert task force to take down a Mexican drug cartel. Like Wind River, Sicario is a slow-burn mystery with a strong sense of place, painting a bleak, brutal picture of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Sicario is a masterclass in building tension and dread, with Roger Deakins’ stunning cinematography capturing the stark, sun-scorched landscape that feels just as menacing as the cartel. The film’s complex exploration of the moral ambiguities and dark realities of the drug war is sure to appeal to fans of Wind River‘s unflinching approach to heavy themes.
3. The Revenant (2015)
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Revenant is a gripping survival story set in the 1820s American wilderness. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as a frontiersman who embarks on a grueling quest for vengeance after being left for dead following a bear attack.
Like Wind River, The Revenant is a visceral, immersive thriller with a strong sense of place, capturing the harsh beauty and unforgiving cruelty of its snowy, remote setting. The film’s themes of survival, resilience, and the primal depths of human nature are sure to resonate with fans of Wind River‘s raw, powerful storytelling.
4. Prisoners (2013)
Prisoners, directed by Denis Villeneuve, is a gripping, emotionally charged thriller about a father (Hugh Jackman) who takes matters into his own hands when his young daughter and her friend go missing. Like Wind River, Prisoners is a slow-burn mystery with a dark, brooding atmosphere that builds to a shattering climax.
Prisoners is a masterful exploration of the lengths we’ll go to protect our loved ones, and the moral lines we’re willing to cross in pursuit of justice. Its complex characters, haunting visuals, and thought-provoking themes are sure to satisfy fans of Wind River‘s rich, layered storytelling.
5. Winter’s Bone (2010)
Directed by Debra Granik, Winter’s Bone is a bleak, gripping mystery set in the rural Ozarks. Jennifer Lawrence delivers a breakout performance as a resilient teenage girl who must navigate the dangerous criminal underworld of her tight-knit community to track down her missing father and protect her family.
Like Wind River, Winter’s Bone is a slow-burn thriller that captures the harsh realities of life in a forgotten corner of America with raw, unflinching honesty. Its strong sense of place, complex characters, and themes of survival and family loyalty are sure to resonate with fans of Wind River‘s powerful storytelling.
6. No Country for Old Men (2007)
No Country for Old Men, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, is a neo-western thriller adapted from Cormac McCarthy’s novel. Set in 1980s West Texas, it follows a Vietnam veteran (Josh Brolin) who stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong and makes off with a case of money, only to be pursued by a ruthless hitman (Javier Bardem).
Like Wind River, No Country for Old Men is a bleak, suspenseful thriller with a strong sense of place, painting a grim picture of a harsh, unforgiving landscape where violence and moral decay run rampant. Its themes of fate, chance, and the changing face of the American West are sure to appeal to fans of Wind River‘s rich, thought-provoking storytelling.
7. Mystic River (2003)
Directed by Clint Eastwood, Mystic River is a haunting, emotionally charged mystery about three childhood friends whose lives are forever changed when one of their daughters is murdered. Like Wind River, Mystic River is a slow-burn thriller that explores the ripple effects of trauma and violence on a tight-knit community.
Mystic River is a masterful character study that delves deep into the psyches of its complex, flawed protagonists, portrayed with searing intensity by Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon. Its themes of grief, revenge, and the inescapable pull of the past are sure to resonate with fans of Wind River‘s rich, emotionally resonant storytelling.
8. The Dry (2020)
The Dry, directed by Robert Connolly, is an Australian mystery thriller based on the novel by Jane Harper. It follows a federal agent (Eric Bana) who returns to his drought-stricken hometown to investigate a brutal family murder-suicide, only to uncover long-buried secrets and confront the traumas of his own past.
Like Wind River, The Dry is a slow-burn mystery with a strong sense of place, capturing the harsh beauty and simmering tensions of its small-town setting with vivid detail. Its themes of guilt, redemption, and the weight of the past are sure to appeal to fans of Wind River‘s emotionally charged storytelling.
9. Frozen River (2008)
Directed by Courtney Hunt, Frozen River is a bleak, gripping drama about two women – one white (Melissa Leo), one Mohawk (Misty Upham) – who form an unlikely partnership smuggling immigrants across the frozen St. Lawrence River on the U.S.-Canada border.
Like Wind River, Frozen River is a raw, unflinching portrait of life on the margins, capturing the desperate lengths people will go to in order to survive. Its strong sense of place, complex characters, and themes of motherhood, poverty, and cultural divides are sure to resonate with fans of Wind River‘s powerful, socially conscious storytelling.
10. Into the Wild (2007)
Directed by Sean Penn, Into the Wild is a poignant, visually stunning adaptation of Jon Krakauer’s non-fiction book about Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), a young man who abandoned modern society to live off the land in the Alaskan wilderness.
While not a thriller like Wind River, Into the Wild shares its strong sense of place, capturing the raw beauty and unforgiving harshness of its remote setting with breathtaking cinematography. Its themes of man vs. nature, the search for meaning, and the allure and perils of the wild are sure to appeal to fans of Wind River‘s existential undercurrents.
11. Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Directed by Ben Affleck, Gone Baby Gone is a gritty, morally complex mystery about two Boston private investigators (Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan) who are hired to investigate the disappearance of a young girl from a rough neighborhood.
Like Wind River, Gone Baby Gone is a slow-burn thriller that delves into the dark underbelly of a close-knit community, exposing the ugly truths and moral compromises lurking beneath the surface. Its themes of innocence lost, the cycle of violence, and the blurred lines between right and wrong are sure to resonate with fans of Wind River‘s thought-provoking storytelling.
12. A Simple Plan (1998)
Directed by Sam Raimi, A Simple Plan is a taut, suspenseful thriller about three men (Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Brent Briscoe) who discover a crashed plane containing a dead pilot and millions of dollars in cash, leading them down a dark path of greed, paranoia, and murder.
Like Wind River, A Simple Plan is a slow-burn mystery set in a snowy, rural landscape that serves as a stark backdrop for its characters’ moral decay. Its themes of the corrupting power of money, the fragility of trust, and the unraveling of the American dream are sure to appeal to fans of Wind River‘s bleak, fatalistic worldview.
13. The Pledge (2001)
Directed by Sean Penn, The Pledge is a haunting, atmospheric thriller about a retired police detective (Jack Nicholson) who becomes obsessed with solving the brutal murder of a young girl, leading him down a dark, destructive path.
Like Wind River, The Pledge is a slow-burn mystery with a strong sense of place, capturing the bleak, snow-swept landscape of rural Nevada with chilling effect. Its themes of obsession, guilt, and the toll of violence on the human psyche are sure to resonate with fans of Wind River‘s psychologically complex storytelling.
14. Insomnia (2002)
Directed by Christopher Nolan, Insomnia is a taut, suspenseful thriller about a veteran LAPD detective (Al Pacino) who is sent to a small Alaskan town to investigate the murder of a teenage girl, only to find himself locked in a psychological game of cat-and-mouse with the prime suspect (Robin Williams).
Like Wind River, Insomnia is a slow-burn mystery set against the stark, surreal backdrop of the Alaskan wilderness, where the unending daylight takes a toll on the characters’ already fractured psyches. Its themes of guilt, moral ambiguity, and the blurred lines between cop and criminal are sure to appeal to fans of Wind River‘s complex, morally gray storytelling.
15. Hold the Dark (2018)
Directed by Jeremy Saulnier, Hold the Dark is a bleak, atmospheric thriller about a retired naturalist (Jeffrey Wright) who is hired by a grieving mother (Riley Keough) to track down the wolves that killed her son in a remote Alaskan village, only to uncover dark secrets and primal violence lurking beneath the surface.
Like Wind River, Hold the Dark is a slow-burn mystery with a strong sense of place, capturing the harsh beauty and unsettling stillness of its snowy, isolated setting with haunting effect. Its themes of nature vs. nurture, the thin line between man and beast, and the cyclical nature of violence are sure to resonate with fans of Wind River‘s dark, primal undercurrents.
These 15 movies like Wind River offer a similar viewing experience, with their slow-burn pacing, strong sense of place, complex characters, and thought-provoking themes. Whether you’re in the mood for a neo-western thriller, a gritty crime drama, or a haunting character study, these films are sure to satisfy your craving for dark, suspenseful storytelling in the vein of Wind River.
