Monday, November 18, 2019

Cold Pursuit: Go Along for the Joy Ride, Not the Sizzle

Movie Review: Cold Pursuit (2019)
Version: HBO subscription

"A grieving snowplow driver seeks out revenge against the drug dealers who killed his son." - IMDb

That's putting it mildly. Think John Wick with a snowplow. Slower paced but with the same menace. And with way more tongue in cheek, making this film a wild ride with a sense of humor. Watch it now, before the snow really builds up this winter, because you're gonna hate snow by the end of this movie (the red of blood does provide some relief).

Liam Neeson and Laura Dern (briefly) head the cast, most of which don't last long enough to get your notice. And this film is pretty standard fare for Neeson, just the jokes are different and are worth watching out for. They actually punctuate the film like chapter breaks in a novel. Watch out you don't stub your toe tripping over some of them, although they are funny.

Just so you know the story line, Nels Coxman is a snowplow driver who clears the roads in the Colorado high country. His son is killed by drug dealers, innocently caught up in a misdeed by a co-worker who is running from the dealers whom he owes money. Nels gets the name of one of the dealers and finds him, then so begins his journey of revenge against a slew of slimy underworld characters ascending the crime organization in Denver to its top, while still keeping his work hours. Now, Coxman is no professional hitman, but this crime organization is big on ego and short on smarts, allowing Coxman to almost always get the best of them, and when he doesn't he still manages to beat them.

Cold Pursuit has the look and feel of a quality independent film with soul and solid storytelling, even if it doesn't feature dozens of big stars and big effects. Go along for the joy ride, not for the sizzle.

Highly recommend. Four !!!!s out of five. Saw Cold Pursuit on a Saturday night, perfect weekend evening movie after a full day of football.