Cold Pursuit

I admit that if I knew that this movie was a remake of the strange Scandinavian movie In Order of Disappearance, I would think long and hard about whether or not I would even watch it. Especially since it was done by the same director. This way I was lured in by Liam Neeson, from whom I was expecting a classic action ride, which he has providedin abundance in recent years. However, it was a little different here. The funny moments weren’t funny. The absurdity was rather ridiculously awkward. All in all, I didn’t find anything that would entertain me during the two hours. What’s more, it is a fairly faithful copy of the Swedish original, which renders it just as useless as, for example, Funny Games. It is a shame that Liam Neeson wasted his time here. (06/25/2019)

Cold Pursuit is a thriller with not only an original concept, but also humor and dozens of corpses. The comic relief makes it amusing in some ways, but I would rather see the topic of revenge for the murdered son in harsh northern conditions treated seriously. Even the bad guys do not earn enough respect here. And the positive Indian poetics surrounding drug dealers that are just as vile as the main bad guys is just WTF. This is a peculiar film hybrid that not quite successfully mixes American thriller elements with European courage to play with audience expectations. (11/26/2019)

Why this remake originated remains a mystery to me, but the main thing is that it's an excellent film. Just like the original. When I compare Cold Pursuit to In Order of Disappearance, I have to say that it has overcome its predecessor in some ways. How, you ask? Through Indians. They brought with them such peculiar melancholic poetics, a reserved and cynical longing for the old days, and for me, they fit into the story better than the Serbs the last time. And the music is better, too - George Fenton composed an excellent soundtrack that I've been listening to for some time and I'll continue to listen to for some time to come. Liam Neeson is excellent in the lead role, though of course he has played a character like this many times before, but he hasn't played one in a film like this, and he probably knew that fact when the role was offered to him. I'm guessing he had a good time (when he laughs during the final reckoning, you have to laugh with him). As for the directing, it's true that Hans Petter Moland didn't come up with anything new and just repeated what he knew was proven and occasionally improved it slightly (if that was even possible). But the main thing is that he kept the mood of the film where he wanted it, and that the way a silent depression gradually becomes a black comedy and almost made it a crazy spectacle is still impressive. (03/09/2019)

A delightful murder mystery where it’s clear to me that its subtle nuances will not be picked up by the average viewer. There are moments that it looks like something from the Coens at their peak. Unfortunately, it has minor flaws. Tom Bateman and Laura Dern cannot handle their roles, fortunately the latter disappears from the scene soon. (06/26/2019)

Probably the most pointless film I've seen in the cinema this year, and it would be a shame if this was one of Liam Neeson's last roles. The film is a remake of the Norwegian In Order of Disappearance, which I can understand from the American side, because they won't watch European films, but what I don't understand is why the film has the same director, and this is probably the first time I've seen the original and the remake made by the same guy, and that's the stumbling block, because the film is exactly the same. Watching a film where I know who dies, how they die and how it all ends with just different actors doesn't make much sense to me. The humour also didn't work for me the second time around and most importantly the point of the whole film is lost as the original was a sort of black-humoured parody of Norwegian mobsters with beautiful Norwegian locations, whereas this was filmed in Canada and the comedy falls rather flat. Liam delivers his standard, but the villain is considerably weaker, and there's nothing to stand up for in terms of action either. I considered walking out of the cinema. 40% for Liam and the pretty decent craftsmanship, otherwise a waste of time. (02/28/2019)