Cold Pursuit is the Hollywood remake of the Norwegian film In Order of Disappearance, released in 2014. One thing that is clear, is the masterstroke of using the same director as the original.
Hans Petter Moland created a brilliant dark comedy with the original and carries this across to Cold Pursuit. The result is a polished version, which manages to surprise in many ways.
It's fair to say, the premise seems to look like every other Liam Neeson revenge flick. Good guy gets pushed too far, leading to countless deaths to claim vengeance for the wrongful murder of his son. But, this film oozes character and certainly has a style all of its own.
There are few movies that manage to mix graphic violence with humor, think In Bruges meets Fargo and you get an idea of what to expect.
Another big standout is the brilliant cinematography. Hans Petter Moland does a fine job of getting the most out of the Mountainous expanse.
This wild environment plays a significant part in the story and helps add to the bizarre outcomes that ensue throughout. Top this off with a score that sets the mood perfectly and the overall cinematic experience is top draw.
It has to be said, I really did not expect a great deal from this film. As soon as you see Liam Neeson cast in the lead, the first thought is this is just another Taken movie re-packaged. However, Neeson does a great job here with the extremely twisted script. In fact, there are some very strong performances from the whole cast. William Forsythe is great playing an ex hitman who also happens to be the brother of Neeson's character.
Cold Pursuit, is packed full of outlandish characters. There are two rival drug gangs, one a native American gang headed up by the character White Bull. And the other headed up by the thoroughly unlikeable Viking, played by Tom Bateman (Behind Her Eyes). On top of this, there are two cops who are having to clean up the whole mess made by this mad bunch.
All in all, Cold Pursuit was a great surprise. Yes, it does start off just like every other Liam Neeson movie. But it becomes very clear that this is very different very soon. If you are looking for a good action movie with a very different tone to the rest, Cold Pursuit is just the movie for you.
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