Friday 13 March 2015

Cold in July

UK Release Date: 27th June 2014

When a protective father meets a murderous ex-con, both need to deviate from the path they are on as they soon find themselves entangled in a downwards spiral of lies and violence while having to confront their own inner psyche (www.imdb.com).

Director: Kim Mickle (Stake Land, We Are What We Are)

Starring: Michael C. Hall, Sam Shephard, Don Johnson, Vinessa Shaw, Wyatt Russell

Cold in July is a odd name. It has no relevance to its plot, and it's a contradiction unto itself. The momentum of this film shifts in patterns, at least thrice it slows after a series of major events. If feels like a few episodes of a crime/thriller series sewn together. Richard's (Hall) world is turned upside-down when he shoots down a burglar in his house. He's led to believe he's killed one person when in fact the police are covering up a conspiracy. The father of the 'supposedly' dead person stalks Richard and his family.  This is where the direction changes as Richard teams up with the father (played by Sam Shephard), the treacherous cops are done away with, only to be replaced with Don Johnson's private detective, who helps Richard and Russel unearth the truth. Although Cold in July's narrative is disjointed, the formidable cast and their yearning to see this to the bitter end is truly magnifying. Jim Bob (Johnson) is too late of a character coming in, but Shephard's unwavering, cool exterior and Michael C. Hall's conflicted nature (his motif is still uncertain) with what he's doing and thinking he's exacting justice is intriguing to the very end.  

3/5 

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