Untamed (2025)–Wild and Dangerous

Untamed, a Netflix thriller filmed in the backdrop of the stunning Yosemite National Park, opens with a couple of mountain climbing tourists shocked by the sudden hurling past of a young woman’ body. National Parks Service special agent Kyle Turner (Eric Bana) is called in to be the Special Investigator into  the death of the young Native American Lucy Cook ( newcomer Ezra Franky), whose fall from El Capitan unravels into a chilling murder case.  Turner is not in the best mental state, after having lost his young son six years ago,  resulting in divorce from his wife, Jill (Rosemarie deWitt), now remarried.

The Yosemite National Park service assumes Lucy Cook’s death is a suicide.  But rookie Naya Vasquez (newcomer Lily Santiago), a former policeman hired by the  National Park, is perfunctorily assigned to assist Turner’s investigation.  Having moved to Yosemite from Los Angeles with her young son, Naya has an arduous task ahead. There is the detective work to uncover possible perpetrators and there is the stress from dealing with her troubling boss all,  while adjusting to being a single mother.   

Only Turner’s past mentor, Paul Souter (Sam Neill),  now  the chief administrator of Yosemite, refuses to take Turner off the case.  The loyalty to each other is seemingly boundless, in the face of opposition from others in park management.  In a series of knuckle-biting cat-and-mouse scenes, several murders are uncovered, one Turner couldn’t solve years ago, which still torments him.  Part of the narrative uncovers what happened to his young son.

The final lap of the investigation flips the entire intricate set of subplots on  its head. Released July of this year, Untamed is the number one Netflix series for the month.A second season has been greenlit. At times difficult to follow because of new characters and their very brief (sometimes non-existent) back stories, Untamed is less than satisfying.  With patience and diligence, the clues become more connected  but the effort may not be rewarding to some viewers.  However, the major reward is the outstanding cast and the breathtaking shots of Yosemite.

Availability:  Netflix