Cold Road

Canadian films have a reputation for being absolutely awful. Though there's a few exceptions like The Red Violin, and even some cult classics like Cube, most of what the country turns out is insipid garbage. Because of this I was reluctant to go see this film, but I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised.

The Bad: The film is a somewhat slow to get started, and the script in some of the early scenes feels clumsy. Those who are patient with this movie are rewarded, however, as the film finds it's footing around the 30 minute mark and quickly improves.

The Good: Cold Road is realistic, perfectly capturing the creepiness and isolation of Canada's north, and the feeling one gets trying to make their way from one tiny remote community to the next. The heroine is believable, using her brains to survive despite being terrified and alone, and the threat of the man stalking her is intensely relentless.

If you're looking for a high octane / smooth brain Hollywood flick Cold Road isn't for you. It's an intelligent slow burn of a film made on a modest budget but well written, acted, and produced.

Solid, entertaining and highly recommended. Eight stars out of ten.

If anyone knows about Steven Spielberg's 1971 directorial debut Duel, they appreciate this modern take set in Canada. I don't know if it was intended or not but, it's brilliant. I can't say anymore without giving the plot away except to say look up Duel or even better watch it first!!

If anyone knows about Steven Spielberg's 1971 directorial debut Duel, they appreciate this modern take set in Canada. I don't know if it was intended or not but, it's brilliant. I can't say anymore without giving the plot away except to say look up Duel or even better watch it first!!

If anyone knows about Steven Spielberg's 1971 directorial debut Duel, they appreciate this modern take set in Canada. I don't know if it was intended or not but, it's brilliant. I can't say anymore without giving the plot away except to say look up Duel or even better watch it first!!

I literately created this account for the sole reason to warn potential viewers of how incredibly bad this film was. I am uncertain whether the nonsensical script is worse or the school play level acting. My wife and J had to convince ourselves that the main character was a special needs individual to justify her behavior/dialogue....but when she has a brief exchange with the police officer in the diner parking lot, it is quite clear that the setting is within a parallel universe in which intelligence quotient is non existent. Even the dog is dumb. This one is a solid zero. An absolute disaster of a film.

While awareness to the horrific crimes against women; specifically indigenous women, are underreported and not addressed with enough resources- this movie painfully depicts women (specifically indigenous women) as individuals with low IQ or rather limited problem solving skills. The entire storyline is riddled with super dumb a@@ internal conversations and events.

1. The main character is on the phone -steps from her car at a gas station filling it up before a long stretch of road (300+). She is on the phone with her sister when gas is stolen by way of the pump being removed from her car and added to the car next to hers. She doesn't notice this!!!!! She doesn't have eyes on her car she is steps away from as it is being refueled! AND then she doesn't notice that her car is NOT full and pays $80 for the gas! She gets back in her car after paying $80+ and doesn't notice the tank! She looks at the speedometer the ENTIRE movie! How? HOW?

2. Why is she using a MAP! A paper map and reading it on the side of the icey/snow and her low IQ dog is just siting in the middle of the road in the path of a huge 18 wheeler. He just sits there?! No DOG with common canine sense is just going to sit there watching a truck coming at high speeds. Back to the paper map! This story takes place in modern times. Her car had a flat screen in it! She has a smart phone! But uses paper maps. What?!

3. 18 wheelers do not exceed 80 mph or at best on a downhill slope with wind past 100mph. Her sedan was going between 80 and 120mph. How in the laws of kinematics does the truck catch up with her repeatedly? And when she sees the truck allows it to catch up with and only speeds up once it's on her bump. I can't with this movie!

4. She approaches a cop with a knife she took from the dinner bc she forgot it was in her hand. While I understand the point being made in that scene; it was poorly executed!

Director, please be mindful of how you depict the intelligence and problem solving skills of individuals whose story you are trying to tell!!! Indigenous women and women are NOT airheads. And neither are their dogs!

I was initially drawn into picking up the 2023 thriller "Cold Road" from the movie's cover. And the fact that it was a movie that I had never seen before definitely also helped to make me want to watch it.

However, I have to say that the concept of the story, with one or more persons being harassed by someone in a truck, is something that has been done countless times before, so it wasn't as if writer and director Kelvin Redvers was reinventing the genre here. But there was something that worked about the narrative, especially because it was made in a way where you could almost feel Tracy's desperation and frustration with the situation. And leading actress Roseanne Supernault really took the narrative and made it work, made it hers.

I was not familiar with leading actress Roseanne Supernault, but she was really well-cast for the role and she carried the movie quite nicely with her talent and on-screen presence. Actually I wasn't familiar with anyone on the cast list, and that is something I do enjoy when I sit down and watch a movie with unfamiliar faces and talents, and thus not associating the actors and actresses with previously portrayed popular roles.

Despite the fact of "Cold Road" coming off as just another highway harassment movie, it actually is well-worth checking out. I was genuinely and pleasantly entertained throughout the course of the 100 minutes that the movie ran for.

My rating of writer and director Kelvin Redvers's 2023 thriller "Cold Road" lands on a well-deserved six out of ten stars.