These Wind Walkers Incite Nap Time: A Film Review

*full disclosure: an online screener of this film was provided by Tricoast Worldwide via Cloutcom.

Director/writer: Russell Friedenberg.

Cast: Zane Holtz, Glen Powell, Phil Burke and Rudy Youngblood.

Wind Walkers is based on an ancient Native American legend - a wendigo. Mother Nature has created another monster, which is a curse of "the white man." The film offers a weak message on the environment and possibly on the white man's foreign incursions. There is so much white guilt to wade into. As well, the film's pacing is unusually slow and any real conflict is only introduced just past the one hour mark. The remainder of the film is filled full of inane interactions and repetitive dialogue sequences. Some scenes offer nothing, at all. Many scenes, despite the gorgeous cinematography, appear washed out or overly dark. And, the Wind Walkers is not recommended even for the most patient, or masochist of horror fans.

Wind Walkers is barely a horror film, especially in story. Much of the film is dramatic in nature, with Sean (Zane Holtz) at the centre of the inaction. He has just returned from a military tour in Afghanistan and he has brought something back with him. He is the carrier of an infection. His friend, another soldier, is more outwardly infected. Matty (Rudy Youngblood) rushes through scenes with yellow contact lenses and a desire to tear into human flesh. The remainder of the film is a back and forth dialogue on who or who is not infected. Almost everything, including the story, come across as false or unnecessary.

One of the better shots from the film.

Much of the film's tension relies on lots of gun pointing. In an earlier scene, the character Jake (Kiowa Gordon) points a shotgun at Sean. A shot is fired off into the distance. Sean's reaction is sedate and the watcher's response will be similar. Then, Sonny's (Glen Powell) gun is pointed at Sean; more shots are fired. Everyone is shooting all over the place and consistently missing. Firearms can not hold a scene. And, this viewer was wondering when the real conflict was going to begin; more realistic tension and conflict was required.

Wind Walkers is full of fluff and almost dead scenes. Director Russell Friedenberg is early in his film shooting career; this early film includes many drawn out, or purposeless scenes. For instance, the protagonist's love interest, Lexi (Castille Landon), skulks about a very quiet home. The scene is unusually dark and there is no dialogue, for a minute or two. Finally, Lexi turns off a faucet. Wow. Then, the camera follows Lexi for much too long, until she finally finds another character, who is obviously infected. An obtuse line is spoken: "the wind walkers talk to me" and this scene moves the plot along at a snail's pace, or possibly in reverse. In a series of future scenes, the characters Sonny and Sean argue back and forth, on whether Sean is responsible for murder. These scenes are repeated far too often. Concise and action packed are not a words that could be used to describe Wind Walkers.

Can someone turn on a light?

Finally, the film's look is very washed out. It is possible that the actual release copy is different than the version seen here. However, the screener, that this viewer watched, appeared very grey, much like many of the characters. The beautiful Florida everglades do not appear very green, nor does the water appear blue. Instead, the film appears grainy and colourless. The natural settings do not shine here. Also, there are several scenes which are too dark. Many scenes take place in a darkened hunting shed. These scenes lack any colour, nor light. The picture required a further treatment to draw more life out of landscapes, or more lighting was required overall.

Wind Walkers will be a participant in the After Dark Films' "8 Films to Die For" film festival. As well, the film has been released in the United Kingdom, on DVD (Tricoast UK). This viewer suffered through a second viewing of the film, in an attempt to dissuade other horror fans away from the film. In fact, this is one of the most average films that this critic has seen this year as few film reviews were available. The story struggles with a unifying message and conflicts are far and few between. The middle portion of the Wind Walkers is simply boring and uneventful. This viewer would encourage indie film fans to seek out better interpretations on Native American myths, such as Larry Fessenden's Wendigo (2001). There is nothing to fear here.

Overall: 5.75 out of 10.

The film's trailer is hosted here. The film's colour appears more vibrant, in the trailer, compared to the film this viewer saw:

A Wind Walkers' Trailer on 28DLA

Recommended release:

Wendigo at Amazon


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Posted in: 2015,8 films to die for,after dark,after dark films,horror,horror movie review,independent,indie,movie,native american,review,russell friedenberg,story