Cold in July (2013)

Directed by: Jim Mickle
Country: USA

Movie Review: The title “Cold in July” is not by chance, since Jim Mickle’s fourth feature film is a glacial thriller written by Micke and Nick Damici, based on the novel from the American author Joe R.Lansdale. The story, set in Texas, follows Richard Dane (Michael C.Hall) who was forced to shoot an intruder that broke into his house in the middle of the night. Visibly disturbed, Richard was told by the police that the victim, Freddy Russell, was wanted for a long time due to his violent past. When the ex-con Ben Russell (Sam Shepard), the victim’s father, evinces a menacing behavior towards Richard’s son, he takes every precaution to save his family. However, the reality was much different and the supposed rival men are dragged together into a dark conspiracy that involves the police and some unexpected characters. The film has an amazing start, great suspense and visually gripping, to change radically in its final part, triggering violence and brutality. Adopting the same kind of mood as “Out of the Furnace”, it’s very clear that there’s no space for cheerfulness here, where the story itself is pretty macabre and is executed with ominous tones. The efficient film director Jim Mickle, after depicting the darkness of a cannibal family in “We Are What We Are”, brings us another gloomy tale that came out from the most horrible side of the human nature. Like fish in the water, he handles very well this (a)moralities, and “Cold in July” will leave the fans of dark crime thrillers much satisfied.