Rent Cold in July (2014)

Very good genre-bending flick... - Cold in July review by CP Customer

A really good movie. It felt like it was inspired by 80s cult crime thriller, 'Blood Simple' but with a comic twist. It's not a straightforward crime thriller - about a third of the way through it becomes quite comedic with the introduction of Don Johnson's pig-farmer/PI. Some of the dialogue between Shepard and Johnson is hilarious. It wouldn't ordinarily work but for the skilful direction of Jim Mickle which harks back to 80s cult movies. The storyline is quite confusing. It does beg questions and I'm not sure it clarifies exactly what involvement Freddy has with the Dixie Mafia and the police. But it didn't detract from the film for me. It always more interesting as a film exploiting different genres. The dialogue has the hallmarks of crime thriller but it has it's tongue firmly in its cheek. It's very original, it always kept my attention and there are plenty of twists. Personally, I don't think believability matters too much - it's original in the way it melds very different genres yet is consummately entertaining. I'm glad I saw it and strongly recommend it. It's not a conventional thriller but that makes it all the more worthwhile.

Disappointing - the ridiculous storyline makes this more silly than thrilling - Cold in July review by RP

I waited to write a review for this film until I'd watched 'Mulberry Street' and 'Stakeland', also directed by Jim Mickle and which came highly recommended. While formulaic (respectively, nasty virus turns normal Americans into flesh-eating rats, road movie with added vampires) I quite enjoyed them - they were well done, for their budget and within their budget. So, would Jim Mickle succeed with this crime thriller genre film?

In a word, no. It's not the fault of the direction, which isn't at all bad - it's the storyline, which is frankly, silly, unbelievable tripe. But unfortunately Mr Mickle shares writing credits for the script.

I haven't read the novel on which the film is based, but the storyline of the film goes like this: Central character shoots intruder. Intruder's father seeks revenge. Local cops try to kill intruder's father by leaving him on train track; it turns out that intruder was someone entirely different, and the father's real son is a nasty individual involved in porno snuff films and all the time hidden within the witness protection programme. Confused? You will be.

The central role is played rather well by Michael C. Hall, who manages to get us to feel a little sympathy for a weak and somewhat unlikeable character. And that's about it - the story is so ridiculous that the other actors (Sam Shepard, Don Johnson and the director's sidekick Nick Damici) simply cannot make their characters appear anything other than silly.

I really liked the two other Jim Mickle films I have seen but this was a great disappointment. There's plenty of violent shooting and bloodshed, but although it has a twist or two it's more silly than thrilling. Of course, mutant viruses and vampires are silly too, but that's to be expected - with a crime thriller there has to be something realistic to relate to. And there's nothing here, except perhaps the initial 'fear of intruders' - after that it's downhill. Sorry, Jim.

2/5 stars - below average, and it's all down to the ridiculous storyline.

Cold in general - Cold in July review by CP Customer

Total lack of believable plot added to the overall disappointment of this film. Michael C Hall plays the average guy throughout , Don Johnson tries to pep things up but the film lacks basic plot or storyline. More questions unanswered than satisfactorily explained.