I assume I was drawn to 'Cold Comes the Night' for the same reason as many viewers: Bryan Cranston. I've worked my way through 'Breaking Bad' three times, and believe that even in a time of strong dramatic TV leads (e.g. Michael C. Hall, Jon Hamm, Charlie Hunnam), Cranston stood out as the greatest. I struggle to imagine even someone like Daniel Day-Lewis handling certain 'Breaking Bad' scenes as well as Cranston. I was therefore surprised to find that the strong performer in Tze Chun's 'Cold Comes the Night' is actually an actress I'd never heard of before: Alice Eve. I've long believed that a strong lead performance can elevate an otherwise bad film into mediocrity, and an otherwise mediocre film into a good one. Alice Eve shows the kind of protectiveness and desperation familiar to those who've seen Jennifer Lawrence in 'Winter's Bone', although she isn't as subtle as Lawrence. Although Eve's talents certainly make her scenes more enjoyable, I feel that the star attraction - Cranston - was woefully underused. His forced Russian accent stifles his ability to express himself, and his character's near-blindness could have been explored in far greater depth. These deficiencies prevent 'Cold Comes the Night' from rising above mediocrity. Tze Chun is a director I'm entirely (sans this film, of course) unfamiliar with. In bolder hands, 'Cold Comes the Night' could have been a very good crime drama. Unfortunately, the film doesn't escape the tropes of the genre, despite having sufficient scope and talent to do so.
