Cold Pursuit proves to be a solid, gritty, and darkly funny thriller that works well even if the plot functions like a pinball machine most of the time.
The movie stars Liam Neeson as a snowplow driver in the Rocky Mountains whose son has just died of a heroin overdose. He finds out that his son was actually murdered by a drug cartel and afterwards he begins a rampage of revenge, systematically eliminating all the criminals who have any connection to the crime lord (Tom Bateman).
His pursuit of the criminals causes a strain on his marriage to his wife (Laura Dern).
Soon after, other drug cartels get wind of the fact that their former associates are getting knocked off and it starts a war between the rival factions. This is the point in the movie where the plot goes into almost nonstop incoherence, but how the events play out makes the incoherence ludicrously entertaining.
Liam Neeson is borderline self-parodying his characters of recent years yet he finds a story that is equal parts violent and funny even if the gore factor does go a bit too extreme.
By the same token, the violence is creative and the body count is nearly up there in John Wick territory. Neeson takes full advantage of his snowblower in those highly creative sequences.
The plot is definitely murky at times, especially when the crime lords are trying to control their empires and fulfill their own agendas, but for every convolution in the script, there’s another engaging scene waiting around the corner.
It may have “Cold” in its title, but it’s red-hot with Neeson doing what he does best.
(Rated R for strong violence, drug material, and some language including sexual references.)
