THE GOOD
Cold Pursuit was a movie that I didn't see when it first came out. After Taken 3, I never bothered seeing very many Liam Neeson action movies because I thought they would be as terrible as that. I regret that completely after watching this movie! I saw this in my local theater a couple of days ago and it was really, really good! It seemed to look like your typical Liam Neeson revenge thriller in its marketing but it absolutely is not! This is a clever, weird and surprisingly hilarious dark comedy with elements of crime thriller and action. Liam Neeson is great here, he isn't your typical Neeson revenge thriller guy here, he feels more human. When he kills the first drug dealer on his revenge quest, you can see the nervousness in him and it's obvious that he does not want to do what he is doing. He even contemplates suicide early on in the movie after finding out his son is dead. The standout here is Tom Bateman as the villain, Viking. He was so gloriously over the top, so much fun, he steals every fucking scene he's in! There is also this kid, Nicholas Holmes, who plays the villain's son, he gives a fantastic performance here too! He also gives one of the best lines in the entire movie. The humor is great too, it's very subtle, but also very dark. There's a scene where Liam Neeson is riding in a cab with a hitman and Barbie Girl by Aqua plays. I thought it was pretty random, but it did get a giggle out of me. The last scene in the movie got a huge laugh out of me, I didn't see it coming at all, and it was hilarious! There are moments of great action here too, I wouldn't necessarily call this an action movie, but when it happens, it's violent, bloody and brutal. Whenever Liam Neeson punches somebody in the face, blood just starts gushing out of their mouth and nose and you hear the impact of those punches, it's solid stuff! There is also a terrific shootout in the final act, its filmed and edited wonderfully, you can actually tell what's going on and it's not migrane inducing like Taken 2 and 3.
THE BAD
If you are not the kind of person who likes to be patient while watching a movie, don't watch this movie. It will be very offputting for people who are completely used to the typical pace and structure of your average Liam Neeson revenge thriller. It's not an issue for me at all but I just had to put it out there for people who will see that as a negative. My actual issues with the movie is that some characters are underutilized, like Laura Dern, who plays Liam Neeson's wife, she leaves no impact on the plot whatsoever, she is just there to slowly get upset at Liam Neeson overtime in the first half and then eventually leave and never see her again. I also wish they could've done so much more with the brother of Liam Neeson's character. *Spoiler Alert* At one point in the movie you find out that Liam Neeson's character's brother was at one point involved with the drug cartel that Liam Neeson is hunting down, which was an interesting subplot, but they don't really do much with it.
CONCLUSION
Cold Pursuit is a very good movie! It wasn't at all what I was anticipating, but in the best possible way. It does have a flaw or two but I still highly enjoy it! It was funny, exciting, the acting was great, the writing is great, and it was just a great time!
8.9/10 - GREAT
Pros:
- Great moments of action
- Very funny
- Wonderful performances
- Liam Neeson feels more humanized than usual
Cons:
- Underutilized characters and plotline
- Can be offputting to many.
FILM INFORMATION:
MPA rating: R (for strong violence, drug content, and some language including sexual references)
Release date: February 8th, 2019
Run time: 119 min
Studio: Lionsgate
No comments:
Post a Comment