Nice thriller grounded on a basic and previously seen premise (the murder and rape of a young girl in an isolated area) but built around the great ambiance of the snowy landscapes of Wyoming supported by strong performances from the whole cast.

Starting a bit slow, gets traction and punch as the story progresses, climaxing in a brutal and gripping third act topped by a brief but very engaging shootout. Initially the movie touches upon some of the ethnic conflicts and mistrust, especially when outsider FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) arrives in town to take over the investigation, but this thread is left behind fairly quickly in favour of the traditional murder investigation approach which is unfortunate as it was an extra layer that provided deeper meaning and motif to the story.

That said, and even if it is rather slowly cooked and paced at the start, maybe a bit too much with some skippable details, the writing brings forward the emotions and feelings of the several characters more than adequately (once again Olsen’s character is maybe the lesser developed, as it is cut in quite stereotypical fashion). Plus, it manages to balance action, drama and tension rather effectively, slowly but surely building up to the emotional and action-packed finale.

This is successfully coupled with solid performances from the entire cast, Jeremy Renner (playing Cory Lambert, the hunter that assists Olsen’s character in her investigation) and Olsen deliver good performances, especially Renner. But it is all the supporting cast that is simply excellent, from people who has substantial screentime to some that maybe do not even utter a word, all give more texture and humane spirit to an otherwise soulless environment. And, precisely, an extra character but still incredibly important would be this environment, as either the ghostly town area or the frozen habitat were Renner handles his business provide the enough aridness (which becomes ironic being a place full of snow) and mournfulness that you can feel creeping in into all the people that inhabit these lands.

All in all, a plot wise standard thriller that thanks to getting elevated through its more than unusual setting, its crudeness and great cast manages to after all things pull you in to see where things are going.