Rating of
2.5/4
Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Cold and Darkly Fun
Chris Kavan - wrote on 05/22/19
Liam Neeson has said that Cold Pursuit would be his last action movie. I don't see how that's possible when you can have as much fun as he has - whether in Taken or The Grey or Non-Stop or, yes, Cold Pursuit. This is a film that revels in its absurdity but doesn't shy away from violence. I mean, the main character is named Coxman, and yes, that name is the butt of jokes as the movie goes on.
Neeson is a humble snow plow driver, Nels Coxman, for a Denver resort city who has just been named "Citizen of the Year" for essentially keeping the roads clear and helping people in various ways. He's more the quiet type, so his speech is short but his wife Grace (Laura Dern in too small of a part) just wants him to be happy. That happiness is short-lived, however, when their son Kyle (Micheál Richardson) is found dead of a heroin overdose despite being a clean-cut kid. The cops have little to offer, so Nels takes it upon himself to conduct his own investigation after Kyle's bloodied co-worker shows up his garage. He tracks down the lowest rung on his revenge tale, a snake named Speedo (Michael Eklund) and begins to climb the ladder. This ladder leads to one Trevor 'Viking' Calcote (Tom Bateman) who is just the worst boss, husband and only slightly better father. The slime-ball drug kingpin isn't above murder himself - and before you know it, Nels isn't his only problem as he begins a turf war with a native america clan run by White Bull (Tom Jackson).
The violence in Cold Pursuit is very real - lots of people get shot, beaten and otherwise killed. But the film also has a tongue-in-cheek quality to go along with it - whether it's the clever nicknames it gives to every character, or the way it pops up the characters name and religion when they are killed. Even the end credits pay homage to their deaths. It's dark comedy and it works pretty well - Neeson is an old hand at these type of action films (which is why I'm hoping he's really not giving this up) and he comes across again as a person you just don't want to mess with. The supporting cast is good - with Bateman, William Forsythe (as Nels' brother) and Emmy Rossum (as an enthusiastic cop) all putting in good performances. Even the more minor characters - like Domenick Lombardozzi, Arnold Pinnock (as the hitman The Eskimo) and Gus Halper (nickname Bone - for good reason) - add some nice flavor to things.
Cold Pursuit is kind of action comfort food - you know what you're going to get, and it delivers on that promise. It's not going to be the greatest action film you've ever seen, but it leaves a good impression in the end and I, for one, really hope Neeson reconsiders his roles, because he was born for this kind of fun romp and he always delivers.
