Cold Wallet

I like movies and shows that make me think about them in the days and weeks following. This one did that. Some allegorical themes on capitalism coming from the rich tech guy. I really didn't like him... a testament to a job well done. I especially liked the music... silent night was a nice touch. There were well placed funny moments of levity to keep my heart rate down. Was giving me some serious wtf's... in a good way! I'm going to watch again to catch any little foreshadows or fun correlations that might come from knowing the ending. Checked all of the boxes of a "crypto-heist thriller" I guess Steven Soderbergh knows good movies. Ha!

Cold Wallet is a movie about crypto currency so you could say it's very far from my bed as I have absolutely no interest at all in that kind of business. In my eyes it's something doomed to fail at one point, only handy for gangsters like Trump and co. But even though it's not my thing I watched it and kinda enjoyed the story. It wasn't perfect though, with a rather disappointing ending in my opinion, and too amateur in the kidnapping of the crypto mogul. Why would you let him speak at all and try to influence you? Just cut his fingers off one by one and the problem will be solved by the second finger, and that's a guarantee. But then you would just have a very short movie I guess. That said, it's worth a watch.

I liked it. It was well filmed and kept my attention throughout. It uses a lot crypto techi language but it's actually easy to follow because it's a straight forward script that focuses on the heist part of the movie for the most part. The characters are well thought out and it uses known but not high profile actors that overall did a good job. The topic is relevant with crypto being at the forefront of the news on a daily basis. So it was nice to have a grasp of what's at stake for these redditors who are out of their league. I don't know if this happens in real life, but if it does, watch out because it's going to get crazy out there.

No pun intended - I am not in the whole crypto business ... but the movie is not tough to follow or understand. Including the title ... which is referencing something that ... well I don't want to bore you, but it has to do with money ... a lot of it in this case ... and an excuse of a human being who is really mean and evil ... aren't they all you may ask ... and you wouldn't be too wrong when it comes to money and power.

But our three main characters are trying to do something good ... or are they? Because how well do we really get to know them? Are there other goals they may try to achieve? We will find out of course ... a bit of suspension of disbelief is necessary ... or a lot.

This will be about rich vs poor and how you feel about it ... and about vigilante justice ... and of course karma ... one of the characters is so funny ... but he doesn't think so ... he has his believes and I like him for it ... even if he sometimes acts against some whatever it is he preaches ... still the mixture and the story move on wonderfully ... this works ... if you believe in it ... the fakeness that is ... fake money ... fake life ...

Cold Wallet is loosely based on the QuadrigaCX Scandal, after the supposed death of CEO Gerald Cotten in India.

Like in the film, many suspect that Cotten had purchased a death certificate from Indian authorities; faked his death; and ran away with the proceeds of the exchange, where all of Quadriga user's crypto assets were said to be locked in a cold wallet that he held the only key to.

Obviously, here, they switched India with Kenya...and took artistic liberties with the aftermath of the whole ordeal.

With, at least some of, the storyline harkening back to SBF's FTX ponzi scheme that permanently tarnished the reputation of the crypto realm in the eyes of the average person.

The plot, here, revolves around a rag-tag team of reddit vigilantes, who have set out to expose the truth about the culprit...and, ultimately, gain access to the millions of dollars he has locked away in his cold wallet (an offline wallet designed to hold crypto assets).

While the culprit tries to play the vigilantes against one another, in a thrilling battle of wits.

The film does a pretty decent job of keeping itself open to laypeople who aren't privy to the jargon and intricacies of the crypto space.

Though, having knowledge of the realm will surely lead you to appreciate the story a little more.

It's certainly not a great film, by any means.

But it's entertaining enough of a crime-thriller to sit through and enjoy.

Though, one might argue it's a case of the truth being more intriguing than fiction.

So you might be encouraged to check out one of the documentaries on the subject as well.

Because the true story behind this film is actually pretty wild.

4 out of 10.