100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 65: Cold in July

Director: Jim Mickle
Genre: Thriller/ Crime
Runtime: 109 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: Michael C. Hall, Sam Shepard, Don Johnson, Vinessa Shaw

Description: When a protective father (Michael C. Hall) meets a murderous ex-con (Sam Shepard), both need to deviate from the path they are on as they soon find themselves entangled in a downwards spiral of lies and violence while having to confront their own inner psyche.

Review: It’s still a bit strange to see Michael C. Hall, aka Dexter, shake when an intruder enters his house and he sneaks up on him with a gun that he can barely load.
East Texas, 1989. Richard Dane is an ordinary man, who shoots an intruder out of self-defense. But a man called Ben Russell, an ex-con and the victim’s father, is keepin an eye on Richard. Russell is determined to avenge his son’s death, but things take a different turn.
The film seems to have a storyline that is straight forward and predictable. But it’s a lot more surprising and original than I expected it to be.
Richard doesn’t feel like a hero and even feels regret for his actions. He admits to feeling terrible after giving his statement. Richard is a very realistic man, he doesn’t feel like a character. The first half of the film is exciting and thrilling. The second half, the story flips around and it loses its strength a bit. That’s sad, because it could have been so much better.
“Cold in July” is still a good movie, with especially the first half being amazing. But it eventually becomes a more standard crime thriller.

Rating: 3,5/ 5