WILD IS THE WIND. Police Crime Thriller from South Africa

Netflix has been consistently investing in regional productions—this is evident in the steady stream of series and films from Spain and Italy appearing in the streaming giant’s library, as well as in the ever-growing slate of Polish titles. One of the more exotic film industries from which Netflix’s original productions originate is undoubtedly the Republic of South Africa. One of the films made in South Africa is Wild is the Wind, a police crime thriller directed by Fabian Medea.

Black officer Vusi (Mothusi Magano) and Afrikaner John (Frank Rautenbach) are two South African policemen who may not fit the definition of a corrupt cop, but certainly don’t play entirely clean either. In the very first scene we see the former taking a bribe from a detained driver, and things don’t become spotless afterward. Yet Vusi and John are, at heart, decent cops—they have many successfully closed cases to their credit, and justice is always the ultimate goal. Still, both have reasons to reach for easy money: the former is expecting a child, the latter is trying to save his farm from bankruptcy.

In an attempt to solve their problems, they decide to strike a deal with a local mobster, and matters are further complicated by a controversial case involving the murder of a white girl, for which a Black boy is immediately accused. Racial tensions escalate by the hour, while Vusi and John must simultaneously face the consequences of fraternizing with criminals. Which side—law or lawlessness—will the detectives ultimately choose?

Fabian Medea, a debut director and screenwriter, has clearly watched everything that is best in global police and crime cinema. Wild is the Wind contains familiar elements from Hollywood “procedurals”: crime-scene work, police manhunts and interrogations, and, finally, all those internal relationships that usually complicate an investigation. Despite their ethnic differences, Vusi and John are almost like brothers—they know each other inside out, often repeat mantras affirming their seemingly unbreakable bond, and each is ready to follow the other into fire.

However, when things stop going their way and ethnic tensions in the town intensify, the relationship between Vusi and John is put to a severe test. Under such conditions, will they be able to focus on the task entrusted to them—solving the mystery of the young Afrikaner woman’s murder?

I would like to write that this South African crime film does not fall short in quality compared to similar Hollywood productions, but that would be a blatant lie. At times, Wild is theWind does indeed maintain a high standard—the aforementioned opening scene of Medea’s film or the numerous shots showcasing the impressive valley where the action unfolds are executed solidly and with precision. But when we focus on the acting, the dialogue, or the narrative flow, the impressions are quite different. Mothusi Magano, who plays Vusi, is an actor we have already seen in Hotel Rwanda (2004) by Terry George or in Tsotsi (2005) by Gavin Hood, but he does not fully rise to the challenge of a leading role.

In the part of a policeman torn by inner turmoil, he flounders and struggles, yet fails to muster the necessary range. Suffice it to say that in one of his few scenes—a farewell stretched to the limits and over-dramatized—he is completely overshadowed by Mona Monyane, who plays his wife, a young woman with—if one is to believe the data provided by IMDb—negligible acting experience.

Despite all its craft shortcomings, Wild is theWind is an interesting cinematic experience, allowing viewers to become acquainted with a somewhat different culture of filmmaking. Fabian Medea understands the rules governing the police-film convention well, and who knows—perhaps in a few years, after honing his skills under a more experienced filmmaker, he will be able to become something like a South African David Ayer or Antoine Fuqua?