Back in the more innocent year of 2014, an awesome little crime thriller flew under almost everyone’s radar. I’m going to tell you about that movie and recommend you check it out most soonest. It is Cold In July.
Cold In July was directed by Jim Mickle and stars a trio of awesome actors. These guys being in it should sell it to anyone. Michael C. Hall from Dexter, Don Johnson AKA Sonny Crockett, the epitome of cool, and the recently deceased Sam Shephard (press F in chat to pay respects) from The Right Stuff. Oh, and it’s set in the 1980s. What else do you want?
The story is a great thriller with violence and sleaze, the two ingredients needed to make a masterpiece.
Hall plays Richard Dane. At the start of Cold In July he shoots a home intruder in his Texas home. Texas was still a sane state at that time, so the police come and it’s pretty cut and dry. Then we learn that the now-departed shitbag’s very violent father has just been released from jail and is looking for some revenge for his boy.
He starts stalking Dane and his family to play up some mental terror before he gets his revenge. Meanwhile, Dane tries to make peace with him, since the son did break into his home after all. During this series of events, Dane notices that the identity of the son in a mug shot does not match the man he shot. Very suspicious.
Even more strange is that when the cops catch the father, instead of locking him up, they try to set up his death. Dane rescues him and they come to the conclusion that the cops are trying to put one over on them… and everyone else for some reason.
They find out what is going on and set out to put things right.
Cold In July checks all boxes for me. Crime, murder, revenge, pure sleaze, set in the 80s, a synthwave soundtrack, and neon lights. Great actors that I love, violence, blood, shooting, violence, and more violence. I have watched it at least once a year since it came out. A real masterclass of film.
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