This movie had a good premise and was cruising along fine until it was time for the men in the room to talk and ignore the woman.
"Dead of Winter" begins with an unknown woman being killed. She grabbed a bag of money from a locker and was strangled in her car soon afterwards. Mystery right away.
The movie went to more normal life with Katie McGovern (Mary Steenburgen) preparing for and eventually getting a role in a movie. Or so she thought. Little did she know, she was to play a stand-in for the murdered woman who was the main piece of a blackmail scheme. Katie found herself being held hostage at a home in the country in the dead of winter.
She was astute, she caught on quickly that something wasn't right. She tried to escape and couldn't and after that point she committed a fatal error. As I said, she knew that the two men who were hosting her were not on the up and up. Still, she drank the hot chocolate that was made for her and of course it had a tranquilizer in it. The moment I realize that the company I'm with is crooked, that's when I don't trust anything they give me.
The next point of frustration wasn't due to her, it was due to the men. I hate to say that because it sounds like a lame #metoo slogan, but it's true. Katie was able to successfully call the police. The police showed up and she pretty much thrusts herself upon them pleading that her life is in danger. Instead of taking her seriously and removing her from the house they tell her to calm down and basically ignore her while the "Doctor" spoke. The "Doctor" was able to convince these pea-brained cops that she was his patient and she hacked her own finger off. The police treated her like a child and allowed her to be sent to her room. They didn't show the least bit of concern. It would seem to me that any adult making a plea to be rescued should be honored even if errantly. They may as well have patted her on her head and made cooing noises while praising her for being "such a big girl."
Katie McGovern exuded weakness and it was frustrating. I understand that that was essential for the plot, but it was frustrating nonetheless. She was a thin woman with a weak voice and a weak resolve. Yes, she triumphed in the end by outsmarting her captors, but her weakness was essential. She couldn't effectively escape, she couldn't avoid being injected with a sedative (I would've been flopping like a fish out of water), she couldn't convince the police that she was in trouble (that was more their incompetence I know), and she couldn't fight a crippled old man. I thought for sure once she took care of Mr. Murray (Roddy McDowall) that she'd attack Dr. Lewis (Jan Rubes) like a pit bull. Instead she ran from the old lame. I'm not looking for Ms. Marvel or Wonder Woman, but she didn't have to be on the opposite end of the spectrum either. Cool plot, cool movie, frustrating lead character.
"Dead of Winter" begins with an unknown woman being killed. She grabbed a bag of money from a locker and was strangled in her car soon afterwards. Mystery right away.
The movie went to more normal life with Katie McGovern (Mary Steenburgen) preparing for and eventually getting a role in a movie. Or so she thought. Little did she know, she was to play a stand-in for the murdered woman who was the main piece of a blackmail scheme. Katie found herself being held hostage at a home in the country in the dead of winter.
She was astute, she caught on quickly that something wasn't right. She tried to escape and couldn't and after that point she committed a fatal error. As I said, she knew that the two men who were hosting her were not on the up and up. Still, she drank the hot chocolate that was made for her and of course it had a tranquilizer in it. The moment I realize that the company I'm with is crooked, that's when I don't trust anything they give me.
The next point of frustration wasn't due to her, it was due to the men. I hate to say that because it sounds like a lame #metoo slogan, but it's true. Katie was able to successfully call the police. The police showed up and she pretty much thrusts herself upon them pleading that her life is in danger. Instead of taking her seriously and removing her from the house they tell her to calm down and basically ignore her while the "Doctor" spoke. The "Doctor" was able to convince these pea-brained cops that she was his patient and she hacked her own finger off. The police treated her like a child and allowed her to be sent to her room. They didn't show the least bit of concern. It would seem to me that any adult making a plea to be rescued should be honored even if errantly. They may as well have patted her on her head and made cooing noises while praising her for being "such a big girl."
Katie McGovern exuded weakness and it was frustrating. I understand that that was essential for the plot, but it was frustrating nonetheless. She was a thin woman with a weak voice and a weak resolve. Yes, she triumphed in the end by outsmarting her captors, but her weakness was essential. She couldn't effectively escape, she couldn't avoid being injected with a sedative (I would've been flopping like a fish out of water), she couldn't convince the police that she was in trouble (that was more their incompetence I know), and she couldn't fight a crippled old man. I thought for sure once she took care of Mr. Murray (Roddy McDowall) that she'd attack Dr. Lewis (Jan Rubes) like a pit bull. Instead she ran from the old lame. I'm not looking for Ms. Marvel or Wonder Woman, but she didn't have to be on the opposite end of the spectrum either. Cool plot, cool movie, frustrating lead character.