Hello, Movie Buffs!
Directed by Hans Petter Moland (Kraftidioten), written by Frank Baldwin, and based on the Norwegian film written by Kim Fupz Aakeson (Kraftidioten), Cold Pursuit (2019) is an R-rated action revenge film set in a remote Colorado town and follows Snow-plower and Citizen of the Year Nels Coxman (Liam Neeson) whose happy life is suddenly interrupted when his son is found dead from a drug overdose, despite not having a history with drugs. Suspecting foul play, Nels decides to do his own investigative work to find out who’s really responsible for killing his son. He quickly becomes a vigilante as he kills off several people in order to get to "Viking" (Tom Bateman) and inadvertently becomes involved in a bloody feud between two violent gangs. Will Nels exact his revenge on Viking personally? Or will the Native-American’s get to him first? Who will be left in the aftermath or the chaos?
Cold Pursuit (2019) has two elements that play into the film’s overall success. Firstly, the tone is a mixture between the Coen Brothers cinematography and Tarantino’s storytelling and editing style. The result is a semi-serious and intensely funny action thriller with a story that, albeit standard, is the perfect fit for Neeson. The film offers a fun escape from our own realities with gratuitous violence, and cliché portrayals of Native Americans and crime bosses. Not to mention an exponentially growing kill tally that gets better and more interesting with each new kill. Don’t go into this film expecting realism, complex characters, and suspenseful drama but rather expect to see a dark comedy parody film that is more Fargo-meets-Peppermint (2018).
The second element is a little more straightforward in that the tone also contributes to showcasing more of the secondary characters, who usually get sidelined in most of Neeson’s films. Cold Pursuit is filled with a host of interesting characters that deliver solid performances all around. One could be justified in saying that Liam Neeson is a one-note actor who plays the same type of character all the time, especially when referring to his action thriller films like Taken (2008) and The Commuter (2018). However, this film tops any other action thriller we have seen from him before and it sucks that he’s supposedly declared this to be his last action film. Although he is the lead, he doesn’t take over a lot of the film, which I found to be a great respite as it allowed the other characters to shine. Tom Bateman (Murder on the Orient Express, Snatched) is the film’s main antagonist and he steals the show with his sleazy and unhinged performance that was so unpredictable that it did not cease to be intriguing. Laura Dern (Star Wars 7: The Last Jedi) as Nelson's wife, Emmy Rossum (Shameless TV) as the local detective-police officer, Tom Jackson (Outlander TV) as White Bull, Julia Jones (Wind River) as Viking’s ex-wife were very much underused with their characters.
Overall, Cold Pursuit (2019) is a semi-serious and intensely funny action thriller with a story that, albeit standard, is the perfect fit for Neeson. The story’s tone was the perfect blend that allowed for most of the secondary characters have their moment to shine, despite Neeson being the “lead actor.” A few characters felt a bit underused but overall the performances were solid. Don’t go into this film expecting realism, complex characters, and suspenseful drama but rather expect to see a dark comedy parody film that is more Fargo-meets-Peppermint (2018). I highly recommend this film.
Final Vote --- 7.8 of 10 stars
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Cold Pursuit (2019)
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Hell or High Water (2016)
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Sicario (2015)
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The Town (2010)
Wind River (2017)
Winter Ridge (2018)
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