A grieving snowplow driver seeks out revenge against the drug dealers who killed his son. Based on the 2014 Norwegian film ‘In Order of Disappearance’.
“Cold Pursuit” was marketed as another “Taken,” starring Liam Neeson himself. The only problem with the film is, it is nowhere near as good or even as interesting as “Taken.” Sometimes, you see a trailer for a movie and after you finally go and see it, you realize that all the best parts of the film were actually in the trailer. That is exactly what happened with “Cold Pursuit,” the best one-liners, the best kills, the best moments of dialogue, all appeared in the trailer. And I hate when that happens. I found myself fidgeting in my seat, looking at my watch, wondering when this unnecessarily long, insipid motion picture was finally going to end and when it did, I felt like falling to the ground and kissing the asphalt beneath my feet.
I know that makes “Cold Pursuit” sound like a disaster but that’s because it is. No amount of beautifully photographed luscious, uninterrupted blankets of white, immaculate snow can make up for an elongated, lifeless excuse of a movie. The only saving graces are Liam Neeson and an underused William Forsythe, with Emmy Rossum even making an appearance and enduring less screen time than Mr. Forsythe. The movie is a remake of a far-superior Norwegian picture called “Kraftidioten” (“In Order of Disappearance”) which was directed by Hans Petter Moland, who returned to make this sub-par, English-speaking version. You would think after George Sluizer’s 1988 slick Dutch thriller “The Vanishing,” which Mr. Sluizer chose to remake as a dull, watered-down English-speaking redo in 1993, starring Jeff Bridges and Kiefer Sutherland, that Mr. Moland would learn that sometimes, remaking your own movie, is not necessarily a good thing. Sadly, if he didn’t learn that lesson, I sure as hell did.
Liam Neeson plays Nels Coxman, a snowplow driver who keeps the roads clear of snow for the guests at the nearby glitzy Colorado ski resort of Kehoe. Having just received the “Citizen of the Year” award, both Nels and his wife Grace (Laura Dern), couldn’t be happier. That is, until, they receive word that their only son, Kyle (Micheál Richardson), died for an apparent heroin overdose. Not convinced that Kyle died from drug use, Nels does some digging and with the help of his brother Brock (William Forsythe), who worked as an enforcer for a local drug cartel many years ago, discovers that Kyle did a job for the leader of the same cartel, Trevor ‘Viking’ Calcote (Tom Bateman), and was accused of stealing from him and murdered as a result. Seeking revenge, Brock gives Nels all the information he needs in order to track down the bad guys. Starting at the very bottom of the cartel ladder, Nels gradually works his way up, killing henchman after henchman, until he finally comes face to face with the kingpin himself, Trevor Calcote.
While the storyline sounds plausible and, dare I say it, somewhat intriguing, director Hans Petter Moland seems more interested in presenting a visually striking masterpiece, than concentrating on character development and story exposition. Characters do and say things because the script tells them to and because it’s the only thing keeping the narrative moving along, as a result, the movie never feels organic. Everything feels forced and unrealistic and when you are dealing with characters that demand our sympathy and empathy, it’s almost impossible to give it freely when the people we are watching onscreen, never feel authentic. Undoubtedly, Mr. Neeson, his co-stars, and director Hans Petter Moland will move onto other projects but it’s just a shame to see so many talented people assemble for a movie that could have been amazing, only for it to wind up as a frozen popsicle.
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