Movie Review: Cold Pursuit (2019)
- Rachel Rosana
- Feb 11, 2019
- 9 min read
Rated: R | 1 hr 59 mins | Drama/Thriller
Official Trailer:
Starring: Liam Neeson, Emmy Rossum, Laura Dern, Tom Bateman, Julia Jones, William Forsythe, and Raoul Trukillo. (TO NAME A FEW)
Director: Hans Peter Moland
How the movie is described from movie websites: "Nels Coxman's quiet life as a snowplow driver comes crashing down when his beloved son dies under mysterious circumstances. His search for the truth soon becomes a quest for revenge against a psychotic drug lord named Viking and his sleazy henchmen. Transformed from upstanding citizen to coldblooded vigilante, Coxman unwittingly sets off a chain of events that includes a kidnapping, a series of deadly misunderstandings and a turf war between Viking and a rival boss."
My Review:
★★★☆ out of 4 stars.
I walked into the theater thinking two things about this movie before it began:
Liam Neeson said something controversial (which will be briefly discussed towards the end of the blog) and this could be the reason why the theater continues to have empty seats and not do well in the box office. ($$$)
This is going to be EXACTLY, if not similar to TAKEN Franchise movies he has done in the past. -Father is angry and wants revenge kind of theme-
I was wrong, on number 2. As for number 1, I can go on and on about a thousand reasons WHY he messed up BIG TIME in what he said in his recent interview. His past actions and discussing why he said what he said about a certain group of people. It was not like TAKEN, It was more of a standalone film, based on the book, "In Order of Disappearance" by Kim Fupz Aakeson. This book was made once into a film starring Swedish actor, Stellan Skarsgard. I did not see this Norwegian film, "In Order of Disappearance." (2014) Interesting fact though, they were both, "In order..." and "Cold Pursuit," directed by the same director, Hans Petter Moland.
Here are posters from the Norwegian Film:
A still from the American film, Cold Pursuit:
Now, I understand the anger and disappointment people have felt with Neeson, I hear you, I understand it. I am a big fan of his films and always buy a ticket to see any film he is, despite the bad reviews or cast. I go BECAUSE he is in it. So when I bought my ticket in advanced I was all ready to see the film because I was excited to see Neeson in it. After the interview hit the news about what he said... I was shocked and disappointed. But for one person in this world to say they have NEVER had a racist thought in their mind at any point of their life... is a LIE. Everyone has felt uncomfortable in any situation, or felt anger towards a certain person, and sadly, because of their skin tone. I have to keep repeating myself, because I want to make it clear, I am not standing up for him in this post, nor am I excusing his behavior AT ALL.
I am a minority, a Hispanic Native American Woman, and I can say there are times where I am judged for my skin tone, and racially profiled in stores and where I live. It happens more than I'd like to admit, but it happens.
It makes me more angry at the world we live in that people are so judgemental to people of a different skin tone. I know in my life, I have felt certain way towards others who DO NOT look like me. But the important lesson of it all, is I learned from it, and continue to learn from it, and respect everyone for who they are and what they believe. Even if we do not believe the same politics, values and/or beliefs.
When I review films, I review the films for the entire film, cast, plot, setting, and etc., Every movie is given a fair chance. When I beginning to think about my next film to see and review I was very excited to see this one, before his infamous interview came out. I was nervous that many people would be turned off by this blog. But I am taking a risk and sharing my experience. I enjoyed this film very much. It deserves ever part of those 3 stars. It lost 1 star for me because I felt it was missing something. I wanted to know more about the town they lived in, the marriage with Neeson's character Nel Coxman and Grace Coxman, played by Laura Dern. I also felt some of the killings were predictable, while others were not. I wanted more creative ways at revenge... but I suppose there are only one way to get revenge. Make that person feel the pain you feel.
As a native american, I love that they did not white wash this film. They seemed to have actors that I recognized in other films, where they played Indians. Overall, I loved the acting and loved the focus on the beliefs and traditions of the American Indians had. I feel other Native Americans, like myself, will enjoy this film. There are certain terms and phrases that ARE used negatively but it is part of the plot. I did not like that part, but I understand why it was put in.
The setting of the film was in such a beautiful place with snow everywhere. It apparently was filmed in Canada. I would of thought Colorado, but what do I know. It was a gorgeous area. I felt it really brought to life this film very nicely. A good setting for a film is critical when you are storytelling.
The Controversy:
He did an interview with the british online newspaper, INDEPENDENT. You can read the FULL interview on the website HERE. I will only be discussing bit and parts of what was said in the interview. I did not change any of the words or phrases used in this interview.
The following is Liam Neeson's controversial quotes from the interview - copied from the main source, INDEPENDENT WEBSITE -
It begins as an explanation of how his latest character turns to anger. “There’s something primal – God forbid you’ve ever had a member of your family hurt under criminal conditions,” he begins, hesitantly but thoughtfully. “I’ll tell you a story. This is true.”
It was some time ago. Neeson had just come back from overseas to find out about the rape. “She handled the situation of the rape in the most extraordinary way,” Neeson says. “But my immediate reaction was…” There’s a pause. “I asked, did she know who it was? No. What colour were they? She said it was a black person.
“I went up and down areas with a cosh, hoping I’d be approached by somebody – I’m ashamed to say that – and I did it for maybe a week, hoping some [Neeson gestures air quotes with his fingers] ‘black bastard’ would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could,” another pause, “kill him.”
Neeson clearly knows what he’s saying, and how shocking it is, how appalling. “It took me a week, maybe a week and a half, to go through that. She would say, ‘Where are you going?’ and I would say, ‘I’m just going out for a walk.’ You know? ‘What’s wrong?’ ‘No no, nothing’s wrong.’”
He deliberately withholds details to protect the identity of the victim. “It was horrible, horrible, when I think back, that I did that,” he says. “And I’ve never admitted that, and I’m saying it to a journalist. God forbid.”
“Holy shit,” says Tom Bateman, his co-star, who is sitting beside him.
“It’s awful,” Neeson continues, a tremble in his breath. “But I did learn a lesson from it, when I eventually thought, ‘What the fuck are you doing,’ you know?”
All three of us know – Neeson, Bateman and I – that this is a distressing admission. “I come from a society – I grew up in Northern Ireland in the Troubles – and, you know, I knew a couple of guys that died on hunger strike, and I had acquaintances who were very caught up in the Troubles, and I understand that need for revenge, but it just leads to more revenge, to more killing and more killing, and Northern Ireland’s proof of that. All this stuff that’s happening in the world, the violence, is proof of that, you know. But that primal need, I understand.”
He continues, more generally, about violence on screen. His tone changes. We’re back, suddenly, to a normal junket interview. But this had not been the average confession to make. As he had admitted, it’s horrible, awful. Is it possible to hear that said out loud or to read those words and not judge? Then again, think of the circumstance – he had learnt someone close to him had been raped. No one would ever want to have to confront that in their own life. Do other people react that way?
It is an interesting, SAD, DARK interview that was conducted. I believe Neesons PR team did NOT know he was going to say this. If they did I AM SURE they would have advised him to keep silent and not bring it up. Again, I am in no way excusing his behavior.
I am addressing this controversy because he is the star of this film and it is effecting why people are not going to see this film. He said something which has repercussions and it affected not only him and his family at the time but now those who are affected by his choice of words and phrases. I myself am NOT black. I am Native American. But, there were plenty of phrases, words, and saying that were included in this movie that were triggered to make American Indians trigger with anger. (I will not say them here in this blog.)
It bothered me. It did. They were common stereotypes that American Indian people are constantly called, or are judged for believing in. However, I understood the matter of why it was being used...was it okay to say? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Furthermore, was it okay for Liam Neeson to say "Black Bastard" NO. I refuse and will not stand by his statement. I am a movie goer, I love movies, I watch different genres of movies, controversial or NOT. I watch these movies to understand why they are controversial. Good or Bad. I enjoy sitting in a movie theater and being entertained.
It is important to point out it was NOT the movie that people were mad at, it was the person. The person who was starring in this film and promoting it, Liam Neeson.
(here is recent interview he did with Good Morning America's news host, who is an African American woman, Robin Roberts. She confronts him about the words used in the controversial interview done by INDEPENDENT which can be read above.)
You can say a lot of things about many celebrities in today's world. The world now is rather sensitive to criticism and race. I will not discuss politics in this review because this is solely about the film itself. If it was about politics, for example, the film VICE, then YES - let's discuss politics, and the plot that surrounds this film and the characters - But it doesn't. For the most part this film is about revenge, yes, but also, trying to remain HUMAN. People make mistakes and try to right their wrongs.
I believe Liam Neeson WILL bounce back from this. This was a mistake he saw and acknowledged in perhaps a way that one shouldn't have done, but he did. From reading the entire interview it would seem that bothered him for much of his life, and he wanted to discuss it to show people that YES, you can have these anger and harmful words and phrases about certain people, because you are hurt. You are angry. But you learn to see that what was said and done was NOT OKAY. And I believe that is what he was trying to get out but poorly had that come across. I really had to read between the lines with this one.
Final Thoughts:
In closing, do I recommend this film?
I understand why people DO NOT want to see this film because they do not want to support Liam Neeson. That is their decision, and I won't pressure those to go buy a ticket.
But judging the film alone, controversy aside, which is what ALL my film reviews are based on, YES this film was great. It had twists and turns you did not expect would happen in this film. There was comedic parts during the times where it was rather dark.
It did what a Drama/Thriller films were created to show. It captured my attention from start to finish. The story line moved along nicely, the characters were funny and edgy. The setting of this film was beautiful. The snow, and blizzard weather really allowed it to be almost like another character to the story. It is a film that was uniquely told. It took homage to many classic films in a fun way. For instance, when each person died, it was creatively done on screen. I just enjoyed the entire film. If you want a film that will capture your attention, this is THE FILM to see.
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