Review of Cold in July (2014) by Lewis E — 18 Oct 2014

At the outset, 'Cold in July' excites when our main character kills an intruder in his home, consequently setting the intruder's ex-convict father on a path of revenge. You wouldn't be blamed for thinking that you had another tense 'Cape Fear' thriller on your hands. However, the writers decided to go in a different direction, instead thickening the plot with revelations as to who the stalker father and his son are while also questioning the motives of the police. Initially, this is a pleasant surprise as it becomes less straight-forward as audiences may have predicted. The bad side is that as it continues it begins to feel more as if it is being written as it is going along. It goes too far off course and frustratingly leaves narrative holes concerning the events at the beginning of the movie unanswered. Sometimes it is too eager to shock audiences, thus inserting events which don't naturally fit in.

It is directed well and there are definitely a few interesting developments made in the story; nonetheless the eventual shoot-out was not as satisfying as one hoped and I feel it would have succeeded more had it stuck to the original suspense thriller plan.