#coldpursuit

Cold Pursuit

I’ll admit to sorta dreading Cold Pursuit when I first heard of it. ANOTHER Liam Neeson vigilante action film? I’m still washing the taste of Peppermint and Death Wish out of my mouth. Unless you try something new, like Upgrade, I'm done. Well, they got me. This darkly comic action film is much more than it seems.

Nelson Coxman (Neeson) is the snowplow operator upon which the small Rocky Mountains resort town Kehoe depends. When his son is found dead of a heroin overdose, he and his wife (Laura Dern) succumb to a deep depression. Upon learning drug cartel members are responsible for his loss, Nelson decides to take the law into his own hands.

What elevates the film above its familiar premise (and silly-sounding title) are the little touches added to the characters and the intelligence of the script. Nelson kills a few villains but what he really does is throw a couple of snowflakes onto an already bloated mountaintop and trigger an avalanche. When the cartel’s ringleader, “Viking” (Tom Bateman), he immediately turns his weapons towards rival criminals led by White Bull (Tom Jackson) and his crew. Along the way, we meet all sorts of characters. They may not all have full arcs but are given a little something. A little story, a quirk, a punchline. In this way, I’d compare the film to Tarantino’s work but it isn’t an imitator. Cold Pursuit is actually a remake of the Nordic Noir In order of Disappearance.

Also unexpected is the dark humor found throughout. Some deaths are so absurd you nearly forget to laugh you’re so shocked. Once the blood starts dripping, however, you belt out some hearty chuckles. Yeah, they really went there. The film also works as a legitimate vigilante thriller, a good one where there are actual consequences to Nelson's actions and he pays dearly for the path of vengeance he embarks upon. It’s this blend of ingredients you wouldn’t have expected to work together but does. With that said, not every joke work and there are a couple of off-screen actions which raise eyebrows… but these are minor infractions. Actually, if there’s a real flaw it’s the marketing, which kinda misleads you into thinking this is a much dumber film than you’re walking into. I suspect some audiences wanting nothing more than low-brow, mindless violence will be a little disappointed or taken aback.

To give you a taste of how smart and self-aware Cold Pursuit is, let me tell you about the end credits, which begin with all of the actors’ names on-screen and them vanishing away in an “Order of Disappearance” manner. This is a darkly humorous and bloody thriller with action sequences made more exciting by a twisty plot whose characters are given a little extra touch. In the "vigilante justice" genre, this stands out. (Theatrical version on the big screen, February 9, 2019)

Cold Pursuit

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Cold Pursuit