Dead of Winter

The movie was a bit slow but good lord every shot is beautiful. They use that blue-ish lighting that when combined with the expansive forrest transports to you the frozen wilderness. Emma Thompson is always awesome and Judy does a surprisingly good job in a villain role. Totally worth checking out in theaters while it's there.

The first great feature of Dead Of Winter is that it is NOT a remake of the 1987 movie of the same name (hated that movie).

This is a German production, filmed in Finland, set in Minnesota. My experience with German movies is they are gritty, story-driven, low budget, and have zero stupid characters. Dead Of Winter has all of those characteristics.

The cast is tiny. 9 people total, only 4 of which are major players. Most of the rest of the cast is seen through Emma's memories, eventually explaining why she has made this trip to an isolated lake. As memories work, Emma never names her own character, so we don't learn her name until the final minute of the film. Even that is an add-on, as most references to her in the credits call her character the fisherwoman.

As you can tell from the preview or blurb, Emma happens across a kidnapping and tries to help the young woman. Everything cascades from there. Emma mostly has no one to talk to so the story has to convey her plan just from her actions. And in places it looks like she's making mistakes. But ultimately we learn it all comes together and makes sense.

The mix of Minnesota-nice character with ruthless moves to effect rescues and escapes is incredibly endearing and Emma plays it perfectly.

You probably won't see an ad for this movie, given the budget. But it's one worth seeing.

An above average thriller about a kidnapping, with the added bonus of hearing Emma Thompson do a midwestern accent lol. Her character's backstory (which is revealed in flashbacks throughout the movie), along with her performance, added a touching and endearing enough aspect to the movie that elevated it above just being a run-of-the-mill thriller. Pretty good cinematography in certain parts too.

Barb makes a difficult trek through the snow to reach Lake Hilda, only to discover a young girl has been kidnapped. From that moment on, rescuing Leah becomes her mission - whether she's ready for it or not.

There's something wonderfully stripped back about this film. The story, the visuals, even the cast - everything is pared down to the essentials, yet there's a quiet intelligence running through it all. Nothing feels wasted, nothing feels overcooked. It's Scandi noir in all but passport, and you'll find yourself forming theories while watching, even though the real question becomes how on earth Barb is going to get herself and Leah out alive.

There is a slight lull midway through, but with such a limited pool of characters and locations, it's hard to begrudge it. The film never fully loses momentum - it just has a little sit-down to catch its breath.

Barb herself is a terrific creation, save for one rather glaring issue - I'll come to that in a moment. Otherwise she's the perfect reluctant hero: brave, sharp, vulnerable, and - refreshingly - a woman allowed to age like an actual human being. Emma Thompson brings all the warmth, weariness and grit you'd hope for, without a hint of Hollywood polishing.

Now, the accent. Or should I say 'accents'. All 27 of them. One minute she's Rose Nylund, the next she's Pam Ayres on market day. With so many perfectly good regional options available, it's baffling they didn't pick just one and stick to it. Thankfully, her backstory more than makes up for the wobble - those flashbacks actually add depth rather than smothering the film in syrup.

As for the setting... something always feels a touch off, and with good reason. No matter how proudly they hang the Stars and Stripes, this is no Minnesota. This is Finland with a thin coat of American paint, and you can spot the brushstrokes from space.

Still, taken as a whole, it works. It feels real. The action scenes have weight. The performances ring true. And it's genuinely refreshing to see a thriller led by someone who isn't secretly a retired superspy.

Not perfect, but very good - and absolutely worth your time.

7/10.

I just watched. My rating is 5.0 - average at best.

What I like: the movie, most of all, has good cinematography. The barren, snow covered winter setting looks so peaceful, like someplace you'd read about in a Robert Frost poem. I like the lead actress. She is likable and charming, with her Sarah Palin-esque lines. The movie's set-up is excellent: the first 30-40 minutes really had me hooked, and I thought I was in for a great suspense/thriller

Unfortunately, I think the movie stumbles hard in the middle and end. The movie's pacing really begins to drag; certain scenes are drawn out to the point where they felt like fluff. Basically, I kept getting the feeling of, "Can this movie just move along now?" ... in addition, characters begin to make dumb decisions, like not killing someone when they have a chance. There's some bad CGI in the finale. The conclusion is unsatisfying. Given their intentions, the villains could and should have been presented with more shades of gray instead of the simple "they're the bad guys."

It's an average quality movie at best

5.0/10.