Cold in July Review

4 Star Doing Things Old Style.

Here comes a gritty story from the prolific writer Joe R. Lansdale (Bubba Ho-Tep), adapted for the screen by Nick Damici (We Are What We Are). We find ourselves in a story with a local hero and a man scared for his family, but it comes with twists and turns that can turn a mans life upside-down.

Ann Dane (Vinessa Shaw, 3: 10 To Yuma) wakes with a start and when she hears another sound she wakes her husband Richard (Michael C. Hall, Dexter), a nervous man, who shakes as he loads his fathers revolver. Cautiously he heads down stairs, gun rattling in his hand and when he sees the beam of a flash light he freezes, slowly he edges forward until the figure of a masked burglar appears. Richard brandishes the gun as the invader spots him. Within the chime of a clock the burglar is dead, the room is a mess and the youths blood adorns the wall and picture frame.

Soon the police arrive and start investigating the incident. Lt Ray Price (Nick Damici) thinks it is an open and shut case of self defence even though the burglar was unarmed. Ray tells Richard that the burglar is well known and has a rap-sheet a mile long and that he is the son of another felon Ben Russell (Sam Shepard, August: Osage County, Klondike)who has just been released from prison.

Wracked with guilt, Richard carries on with his life in his framing business and people start to treat him differently as he is classed as a hero by the locals. He and Ann have to give statements and the kids at Ann’s school keep asking her about the incident and this transfers to their young son Jordan (Brogan Hall) as he wave a toy gun around in front of Richard. Ray tells him that the state are burying his burglar and with the events still running through his head he drives out to the graveyard and pulls up his car insight of the grave. As he sits there contemplating a shadow next to him makes him turn around.

After his meeting with Ben Russell things start to go from bad to worse for the Dane’s as their house is broken into and Richard goes to Ray saying he wants protection but Ray says that his hands are tied as there is no evidence of it being Russell. But when it happens again they set up a sting, however Russell gets away, only to be picked up in Mexico. This is when Richard spots a wanted poster for the person he killed and it isn’t the man he killed.

After Ray keeps ignoring his calls he lies awake at night and he decides to go into town and confront Ray but what he sees when he arrives changes his life for ever.

 

A great film that harks back to a grittier time and this shows in the performances by Hall, Shepard and Don Johnson, (Jim Bob, The Other Woman), The twists are as unexpected as they are explosive.

Highly Recommended.

Available to Buy on DVD and Blu-ray Now.