Die Hölle

Centring around fast paced action, but leaving ample room for genuine character development that adds weight to the inevitable violence. Violetta Schurawlow's heroin is a dead pan badass who's easy to root for whether she's navigating personal drama or a vicious psychopath. The film commits to a cool, noir style through it's dreary score and dark but stylish visuals that nod to vintage giallo.

You better damn well tip this Taxi Driver.

I love kick-ass women who can surely kick any ass, but this one...such depth, so much history and so little words, she is the ultimate antihero hero. I loved her.

Get your blenders on, this movie is all parts: Death Wish, The Transporter, I Spit on Your Grave, The Bourne Identity, Rear Window, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Taxi Driver, just to name a few. But, don't worry; the film just borrows from them. The real story is: the Fantastic Not-Angelina Jolie.

There is a central plot thread, but it's almost overshadowed by the lives and drama of Not-Angelina Jolie. The basic story: troubled loner (with very good reasons) witnesses a brutal murder from her bathroom window. That would be bad enough, but the killer surely sees her see him and the threat is on. Almost comically - but really, sadly, she spends a good chunk of the film trying to crash at someone else's place over and over only to remember why she didn't involve herself with these people since they previously wronged her.

With no one to help her and the killer stalking her, she's pretty much on her own. I wouldn't worry too much, though. Not-Angelina Jolie can seriously mess you up.

She's not Supergirl. She's absolutely human even though she's got a pretty good shield: drive. What she's been through in her life - and you'll learn pretty much all of it from extremely clever writing and the show/don't tell acting and scenes - nine out of ten people couldn't handle. This makes her thoroughly interesting and captivating.

Now, it does help that through a lot of the drama here, there's some awesome action scenes and an incredibly satisfying final act. Contrary, some of the slower and definitely predictable scenes do muddy the waters. Mercifully, they don't linger on too long and we get back to the character worth watching the whole movie for: Not-Angelina Jolie, of course.

***

Final thoughts: I love extremely strong characters in cinema, namely smart female leads with the odds stacked against them and their fists/wits prevail. So much so, I constantly give passes to other flaws, plot-holes or clichés in the films they're in. So, know this: Cold Hell isn't perfect. It does have one unintentionally hilarious "Oh, that's where he is!" revelation that I wouldn't knocked down the movie more so, but damn, they did correct themselves almost instantly and all is forgiven.

I suspect the more perceptive viewer might suggest that this was not just a good action flick, but a comment on misogyny and prejudice. That aside, I thought this was a decent, gritty drama with a thrilling plot. The villain's sadistic tendencies make him a thoroughly hateful character, whilst the protagonist is flawed but admirable. Recommended.

Gabriel Millsom

Euro trash I think you're confusing this movie with Hollywood trash good movie suspenseful action good acting directing foreign films I'll take them over Hollywood any day

After witnessing a brutal murder, a woman finds herself targeted by a misogynistic serial killer who uses his religion as an excuse to butcher women. 'Cold Hell (2017)' is a gritty neo-noir thriller clearly inspired by works such as 'Taxi Driver (1976)', especially in its bluesy score. It's downbeat and gritty, though it does have moments of levity sprinkled throughout, and it deals with some tough subject matter in a compelling way. The lead character is especially stoic but you're always on her side, even when she makes some questionable decisions, and her dark past is revealed to us slowly but surely over the course of the narrative. Her typically unspoken backstory gives good reason for her to be as guarded as she is, adding a layer of subtext to the closed-off performance by a consistently good, if not flashy, Violetta Schurawlow. There are several well-choreographed fights and chases that have an appropriate amount of weight to them, with the violence typically being brutal and crunchy. It gets you on the edge of your seat on more than one occasion. Often, you can't help but get a little giddy, I suppose, when the protagonist is bashing a bad guy's head in; it's not fun violence, don't get me wrong, but it's good to see the often battered lead finally get her own back. One thing that is good about the piece is the fact that the hero knows how to handle herself right from the off, yet is still fallible to the same mistakes anyone would make if being hunted by a monstrous killer. Just because she knows how to fight doesn't mean she isn't scared of the concept of someone trying to end her life. It's a fine-tuned dynamic that undeniably adds believability to the plot. The picture, of course, isn't perfect. It is rather slow and, even, somewhat repetitive in its mid-section, almost becoming a different type of film to what you'd expect. This isn't too detrimental, since the thing is always entertaining and engaging, but it does lose a little bit of steam before it picks up the pace again for its final act. Still, the flick is effective overall. It's a solid thriller that easily keeps you watching from beginning to end. 7/10.