Movie Reviews #70…
Cold Pursuit. Hans Peter Moland, dir. Based on Hans’s Swedish film, this version channels the movies No Country for Old Men and Kill Bill—brutal violence plus black humor. Liam Neeson plays Nels Coxman, a snowplow driver who wins a “Man of the Year” award in a Colorado ski town. His son is killed by a drug lord.
Neeson’s promo efforts for this film led to the discussion of revenge that has created a lot of polemic in social media: Coxman looks for his son’s killer, and Neeson linked this to some events in his early life. That will be a distraction and probably hurt this otherwise good movie, which is a shame for the director and other actors who had nothing to do with the actor’s comments. (I refuse to take sides here. Readers of this blog can work it out for themselves.)
The black humor comes in many shapes and forms. One of the best moments comes when a bunch of Native American tough guys are told by a hotel clerk they need a reservation. Another comes when the main villain’s ex grabs him by the—OK, this blog is PG-13, but you get the idea.
There’s an accounting of the violence as the screen lists the demise of the bad guys with a cross, their names, and their nicknames. (Those nicknames are part of the black humor too. Watch for them.)
This isn’t a great movie, but it’s entertaining. My only other choice was that second Lego movie. I’m a fan of animation, but really! Legos?
In addition to all the polemic about Neeson’s talk of revenge on the talk shows, people might shy away from this because of the winter scenes. This winter’s been bad! Then again, what else can you do on a 25-degree Saturday when you want to take your wife out for a movie and dinner. You certainly don’t go to a Lego movie! People might also shy away from this one because of the violence. It’s extreme, but no more so than The Bourne Identity, Star Wars, or even some animated features.
Just don’t boycott this because of what Neeson said on talk shows. You’ll be missing a good movie and doing a disservice to the other good actors. Their list even has Laura Dern, that lady from Jurassic Park! She’s only involved in the violence indirectly. And Tom Jackson was excellent as the Native American chief/drug lord known as White Bull—his son is also killed by the same drug-dealing group that killed Coxman’s son, so, in a crazy way, he’s one of the good guys!
***
Comments are always welcome.
The Last Humans. Although this novel mostly takes place in deserted and desert-like ruins of SoCal, there’s one winter scene here too. This post-apocalyptic thriller begins near Malibu with Penny Castro on a forensic dive for the LA County Sheriff’s Office. When she surfaces, all her fellow deputies are dead from a bioengineered plague. Her main goal becomes survival in a world gone mad. In the process, she acquires a family of other survivors and must defend them all against starvation, attacks by feral humans, and a government out for revenge against those who launched the bioweapon attack. Coming in March from Black Opal Books! And please check out the Black Opal Books catalog—lot’s of good reading there. There’s an ebook sale going on for a limited time.
Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!
