Review: Cold in July

by Trevor Kirkendall

★★★

Fans of “Dexter” will rejoice upon seeing “Cold in July.” It shows Michael C. Hall taking on a different kind of role than his forensic analyst by day/serial killer by night character from the popular Showtime series. What they’ll be most excited about is that “Cold in July” is a smart and mature film that has at least some semblance of resolution rather than the abomination that was Season 8 of “Dexter.”

“Cold in July” is set in East Texas in 1989. One quiet night, a burglar breaks into the home of Richard Dane (Hall) and his wife Ann (Vinessa Shaw). Attempting to protect his wife and young son Jordan, Richard loads up a pistol and nervously sets out to see who has broken into his home. In a panic, Richard shoots and kills the unarmed intruder.

The local police say the man Richard shot was Freddy Russell, a wanted felon. His father Ben (Sam Shepard) had just recently made parole from a nearby prison. Ben shows up and threatens Richard’s son prompting the police to get involved again in order to catch Ben and protect Richard’s family.

This is about the point where “Cold in July” makes a sudden turn and starts to go down a completely different and unexpected path. Enter Jim Bob (Don Johnson), a private investigator who will help us get to the bottom of mystery wrapped in lies and red herrings. The plot zigs and zags until the shocking and brutal truth is revealed before a violent and bloody third act.

Director Jim Mickle confidently directs this taut thriller. His sharp script, co-written by Nick Damici from the novel by Joe R. Lansdale, is full of cynicism balanced nicely with the right amount of wit and humor, albeit dark humor. The tone and time period in which the film takes place is nicely accented by a great 80s style score by Jeff Grace. And Ryan Samul’s cinematography is reminiscent of some of the 80s best thrillers.

Despite the film being full of mystery and plot twists, there are many holes within the script that leaves several unanswered questions. None of them are quite as ridiculous as, “Why is Dexter Morgan a lumberjack now?” but there are enough to leave you scratching your head.

Hall is great in his new role as an everyman concerned with the protection of his family and the questioning of his own masculinity. It’s a much different role for him than his well-known parts on “Dexter” and “Six Feet Under” but he blends in to it seamlessly. Seeing him struggle with killing someone was something I thought would be hard to get past since I know him so well in his serial killer role, but it’s not. He fits in perfectly here.

Likewise, the supporting roles from Shepard and Johnson are equally great. Both veteran actors bring something different to their roles. Especially Johnson, who is a welcomed addition to this film the moment he walks on screen.  It’s been awhile since he’s been in a role that was more than just a caricature. While this is Hall’s movie, Johnson ends up stealing many of the scenes in the film’s back half.

It’s not perfect, but “Cold in July” is a nice break from all the superheroes that occupy so many movie screens in the summer. There’s plenty wrong here, but its faults don’t necessarily hinder the plot at all. With so many twists and turns, it’s easy for a script and the director to lose focus. But Mickel has a good grasp on the story and the film’s theme to not let all the mistakes of the script diminish what is ultimately a very effective, intense and violent thriller.