Here's a new indie that's billed as a neo-noir. I've given away a few points about the plot, so I suggest you wait until you see the film before reading this review. It stars Bryan Cranston of 'Breaking Bad' fame, and that's probably the reason why the film was able to obtain financing. Set in Greene County, New York, it concerns Chloe, a financially strapped motel owner, who has a young daughter. Chloe must resort to renting out some of the rooms to prostitutes to support herself and when a social services worker comes by and threatens to take custody of her daughter due to the bad environment they're forced to live in, she finds herself in crisis mode.
The bigger crisis is just around the corner when Cranston, as Topo, a legally blind drug mule shows up at the motel with his unstable nephew. At this juncture in the film, one realizes this is the beginning of many suspensions of disbelief the audience will be forced to put up with. For starters, why would a legally blind enforcer such as this Topo character, actually consider remaining in the business? He's dealing with some ruthless characters, and must depend on an unreliable, moronic nephew to drive him around (I didn't buy it when Topo says "good help is hard to find", referring to his accomplice).
As it turns out, the nephew shacks up with a prostitute in one of the other motel rooms and ends up getting himself killed. When the police impound the vehicle, Topo is forced to kidnap Chloe, since it's her former boyfriend, Billy, a local police officer, who ends up stealing the cash from the vehicle Topo was transporting up to Canada.
After Topo discovers the theft, a series of improbable events unfold. One of those events involves the shooting of Billy's girlfriend (Topo ties Billy up instead of killing him). Chloe tries to make a deal with Topo to split the loot but he refuses; but meanwhile, she's kept a few rolls of bills for herself.
When Topo brings the cash to his employers, they discover there's money missing (the loot Chloe kept). Somehow, Topo is able to blast these miscreants while they have guns pointed at him inside the limousine in a dark garage.
If this isn't incredible enough, the brutal Topo suddenly has a change of heart toward Chloe. He reasons that had she not taken the money, he would not have been put in a situation where he had to finish off the bad guy drug dealers. Since he got lucky and was successful, he suddenly becomes generous toward her (I suppose what is being illustrated here is the idea of 'honor amongst thieves'). Yes, Topo, inexplicably hands Chloe, half the cash (now Topo 'admires' the gutsy Chloe). I, of course, didn't buy it for a minute but of course, this is 'the movies'.
I won't go into the rest of the plot but I will say that an over-the-top Billy tries to get the last word in, with negative results. Maybe another problem with the script is that there's really no back story to explain the anomaly of a legally blind, middle-aged drug courier or the presence of an out of control, rogue cop. In other words, a few extra details about the characters (particularly Topo), might have enhanced the overall narrative.
What you can do is root for the beleaguered Chloe, played by tough as nails, Alice Eve. Less successful is Cranston, whose fake Eastern European accent, proves less than convincing.
'Cold Comes the Night' is a serviceable thriller which should prove more interesting than your typical comic book action hero flick. Nonetheless, this is a film that also sacrifices verisimilitude for a series of plot contrivances, that only an uncritical patron will tolerate.
The bigger crisis is just around the corner when Cranston, as Topo, a legally blind drug mule shows up at the motel with his unstable nephew. At this juncture in the film, one realizes this is the beginning of many suspensions of disbelief the audience will be forced to put up with. For starters, why would a legally blind enforcer such as this Topo character, actually consider remaining in the business? He's dealing with some ruthless characters, and must depend on an unreliable, moronic nephew to drive him around (I didn't buy it when Topo says "good help is hard to find", referring to his accomplice).
As it turns out, the nephew shacks up with a prostitute in one of the other motel rooms and ends up getting himself killed. When the police impound the vehicle, Topo is forced to kidnap Chloe, since it's her former boyfriend, Billy, a local police officer, who ends up stealing the cash from the vehicle Topo was transporting up to Canada.
After Topo discovers the theft, a series of improbable events unfold. One of those events involves the shooting of Billy's girlfriend (Topo ties Billy up instead of killing him). Chloe tries to make a deal with Topo to split the loot but he refuses; but meanwhile, she's kept a few rolls of bills for herself.
When Topo brings the cash to his employers, they discover there's money missing (the loot Chloe kept). Somehow, Topo is able to blast these miscreants while they have guns pointed at him inside the limousine in a dark garage.
If this isn't incredible enough, the brutal Topo suddenly has a change of heart toward Chloe. He reasons that had she not taken the money, he would not have been put in a situation where he had to finish off the bad guy drug dealers. Since he got lucky and was successful, he suddenly becomes generous toward her (I suppose what is being illustrated here is the idea of 'honor amongst thieves'). Yes, Topo, inexplicably hands Chloe, half the cash (now Topo 'admires' the gutsy Chloe). I, of course, didn't buy it for a minute but of course, this is 'the movies'.
I won't go into the rest of the plot but I will say that an over-the-top Billy tries to get the last word in, with negative results. Maybe another problem with the script is that there's really no back story to explain the anomaly of a legally blind, middle-aged drug courier or the presence of an out of control, rogue cop. In other words, a few extra details about the characters (particularly Topo), might have enhanced the overall narrative.
What you can do is root for the beleaguered Chloe, played by tough as nails, Alice Eve. Less successful is Cranston, whose fake Eastern European accent, proves less than convincing.
'Cold Comes the Night' is a serviceable thriller which should prove more interesting than your typical comic book action hero flick. Nonetheless, this is a film that also sacrifices verisimilitude for a series of plot contrivances, that only an uncritical patron will tolerate.