Cold Comes the Night

Nothing truly special or unusual: Just a really good crime drama that's a little too well-acted and realistic to be labeled a "thriller." COLD COMES the NIGHT is grimly riveting and constantly leaves you wondering what will happen next. Some layers, twists, and reversals, but it's still very easy to follow and, therefore, may be a little too episodic and simple for some tastes.

CCN has a minimalistic low-budget appeal to it. We don't know a whole lot about the various players in the smaller town Mid-Atlantic setting. Nevertheless, it shows us all we really need to know. Violent, disturbing, but without cheap schlocky gore. I kept thinking, "This is how real murders must look and, especially, sound." Alice Eve gives a plain yet memorable performance as Chloe, a tough but compassionate single mother who manages the sleazy motel where all the trouble starts. The other actors do likewise in their roles. The script and cinematography are similarly real. Nice ending. Good, fitting soundtrack too. Though it doesn't try for anything big, COLD COMES the NIGHT accomplishes all it sets out to do and is a very watchable little film.

"Good help is hard to find." Chloe (Eve) is a hotel owner who is not only struggling to keep her life together but also to keep her daughter with her. Her day goes from bad to worse when after being threatened by child protective services a murder occurs in one of her rooms. As if that isn't bad enough a man named Topo (Cranston) knew the man who was killed and the vehicle that had his money was taken by the cops. He enlists the help of Chloe and the two of them set out to get the money back...or Amy will lose her daughter forever. There have been many many movies with this idea, someone loses something important to them and an innocent stranger must help them get it back. The difference in this one is...the cast. I'm not saying they were great I'm saying this one had a different cast. On the other hand though the cast is really one of the reasons why this is watchable. Alice Eve is believable as a woman who will do anything to save her daughter. Cranston tries his best to be a creepy tough guy but comes off as being flat. This is a movie that had potential but again became another generic "let's get my money or else" movie. Overall, not horrible but the movies Cash and Pressed were much better. I give this a B-.

This is a decent watchable thriller.

A financially struggling mother(with a young daughter) is running a motel which caters for low lives when some very unsavory characters enter their lives and make things even worse.......

One of the "baddies" is an actor called Bryan Cranston who absolutely steals the show. He has the best line in the picture the tongue in cheek: "Hard to get decent help"

Though the eventual outcome of the story is very predicable and unoriginal, I lasted to the end so can award a respectable:

6/10

Entertaining little movie. I can't come to any major complain in general. It was watchable and involving, had a very good pace and a convincing role of the lead criminal. Acting was fine. I also found the movie somehow natural and charming. I think that the director Tze Chun is a gifted filmmaker. My impression is that this movie wasn't made with some great budget, yet it is much more interesting than many blockbusters of the same genre, if you ask me. I also believe that Cold Comes the Night is a bit underrated on IMDb. So I can say I recommend this movie. My message to director would be - pretty nice work, keep on working!

Jees, what a let-down. After 'Breaking Bad' no one could deny that Bryan Cranston is a formidable actor, capable of amazing drama. And he signed on for this. Don't get me wrong – it's not bad-bad. It's just nowhere near what he should be starring in. He plays a half-blind Russian thief (with a slightly dodgy accent sometimes) who takes a single mother hostage in order to help him retrieve his loot.

That's about it. Alice Eve plays his hostage and she does it as well as the story will allow. The simple thing about this film is that it's just so run-of-the-mill it's barely worth talking about.

You won't hate it, but you won't remember it in a week's time either.

Bryan (and Alice), you're both capable of bigger and better things.

http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/