Oh yeah, that's right:
there was a Liam Neeson action movie this year about him
killing people over problems with one of his children. Because we
don't have enough of those, right? To be honest, I haven't seen any
of the Taken films but I think I've got the gist of them:
don't mess with Neeson's kids. Although Cold Pursuit isn't in
that series, one can certainly be forgiven for believing it is after
seeing this film's trailer. So does the latest entry in this
particular set of genre films – films that have been produced over
a very long career, films that are a nightmare for people who don't
like action – have anything different to offer? Let's take a look.
Cold Pursuit is
centred around Nelson Coxman, a soft-spoken snowplow driver in a ski
resort town in Colorado. After his son turns up dead from a
suspiciously out-of-character drug overdose Nelson begins his
vengeful campaign against local drug dealers. However this gets the
attention of the guys at the top and things quickly spiral out of
control. It reminds me a lot of Fargo, just swap out the
kidnapping and ransom for good old-fashioned revenge. Not only does
Cold Pursuit share that film's snow-covered rural setting but
it also shares an interesting sense of dark humour. I like it; the
black comedy is what keeps this film from being just another generic
action movie. There's even hints of slapstick and self-aware humour
as well. The only downside to this is that in the wake of the swift
ending the viewer is left with a bunch of unanswered questions: was
that one guy paragliding all night long?
Cold Pursuit is
populated by lots of relatable characters who seem normal at first,
but each have their unusual quirks. Chief among the oddballs is the
main villain Viking played by Tom Bateman. Bateman does a delightful
job playing a psychopathic drug lord who's also an unusually uptight
father. He steals whatever scene he's in. The other grand performance
is of course Liam Neeson's as Nels Coxman. This character truly is an
ordinary guy in every sense of the word; he's a small-town,
middle-aged man who has no witty quips or noble speeches, is not a
convincing liar, and is a stranger to brutal violence. Watching him
go through his quest for vengeance and deal with its consequences –
and oddities – makes for a fascinating trip.
In terms of direction,
Cold Pursuit is a good-looking movie with plenty of landscape
shots, both beautiful and ominous. Editing is handled in a way that
enhances the comedy, such as cutaways after certain characters deaths
for example. (Revealing anything further would be spoiler territory.)
In conclusion, I'd say
that if you like Quentin Tarantino movies then you'll enjoy Cold
Pursuit. It's got all the action-thriller fare of a usual
Neeson-type flick but with some quirky gallows humour and
sophisticated direction to elevate it into above-average territory.
Grade:
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