If Liam Neeson wouldn't be, movies like Taken, 96 Hours or Non-Stop wouldn't be shown in cinemas, but would appear directly on Blu-Ray. Anyone who has seen these movies knows what to expect at Cold Pursuit - a man who sees red and goes on a revenge - a straightforward action movie - or not?
Story:
Nels Coxman leads a quiet life in Kehoe, a ski resort in the Rocky Mountains as a snow plough driver. He is a popular man in the city and even gets an award for it. But then the tide turns, as drug dealers give his son an overdose of heroin because they suspect that Coxman Junior has stolen drugs from them. The father is destroyed and he is told what really happened. Knowing that he has acquired his skills over the years in crime novels, he goes on a hunt for the murderers. The drug boss Viking suspects that his rival White Bull is behind the disappearance of his men and he buries then the son of the rival. And so it happens that the revenge campaign of the good citizen Coxman triggers a gang war between two drug camps.
My Opinion:
The special thing about this movie is that it has the Norwegian Scandinavian black humor. Because Cold Pursuit is a remake of the crime comedy of the Norwegian movie In Order of Disappearance from 2014.
Instead of the movie's focus being on the avenger, it lies on a colorful series of characters. How well thought out the Norwegian script is, shows that decisions and actions of supporting characters can have an immense influence on the whole plot. But the focus away from the hero has the consequence that Neeson almost completely disappears from the plot in the middle part. Instead, the film is much more interested in the two drug camps, their machinations and their members, who behave extremely absurd and bizarre, so that the fan of black humor has a lot to laugh about.
The story is told here in a very cozy pace, where you also get to see impressive mountain landscapes. As always Liam Neeson fits very well into the role of the avenger. However, the movie's strength lies in the many and good supporting roles, which steer the story in interesting directions. For fans of black humor like in Fargo, Cold Pursuit is highly recommendable. But whoever expects Taken 4 in this movie will be disappointed. Lian Neeson in a naive, good citizen role - this credibility suits him very well and the movie is really fun to watch.
Cold Pursuit got from me 6 stars at IMDb, for 7 it was not enough and if i could, i would give 6,5 Stars.
