Cold in July (2014)

When a protective father meets a murderous ex-con, 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.

Director:

Jim Mickle

Writers:

Nick Damici, Jim Mickle

Stars:

Michael C. Hall, Sam Shepard, Don Johnson

1 win & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vinessa Shaw	...	Ann
Michael C. Hall	...	Dane
Ken Holmes	...	Burglar
Nick Damici	...	Price
Brogan Hall	...	Jordan
Rachel Zeiger-Haag	...	Valerie
Lanny Flaherty	...	Jack Crow
Kristin Griffith	...	Kay
Happy Anderson	...	Ted
Sam Shepard	...	Russel
Kris Eivers	...	Detective
Joseph Harrell	...	Officer Kevin
Joe Lanza	...	Officer #1
Soraya Butler	...	Female Officer
Wyatt Russell	...	Freddy

Storyline

A terrified man Richard (Michael Hall) accidentally shoots a burglar inside his house. He is assured by the cop (Nick Damici) that it was purely self defense n the burglar was a wanted fella. Richard shaken by the experience n not proud by the incident, visits the cemetery on the burglar's burial day n gets confronted by Ben, a paroled convict n the dead burglar's dad. Ben indirectly threatens and praises Richard's family pic which he saw in the newspaper. The cops cant arrest Ben as he hasn't done anything n cant give Richard official police protection..

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel | neo noir | blood | blood splatter | murder | 

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Taglines:

How many men can one bullet kill?

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing bloody violence, language and some sexuality/nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

True to the setting of the story in 1984, Michael C. Hall's character can be heard watching the premiere of the short-lived 1984 television series The Master (AKA Master Ninja) on his living room television in one scene. Lee Van Cleef can be heard talking to the bartender.

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Goofs

When Dane replaces the bloody sofa, his wife says she doesn't like the pattern because she wanted a floral print. We then see them both in a furniture store trying out a floral-print sofa. But later in the movie we see them both sitting on the "ugly" one she didn't like, and in a scene after that, they're on the floral print one.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ann: [urgently whispering in the dark] Richard. Richard.
Richard Dane: [stirring awake] Yeah?
Ann: I think I heard something.
Richard Dane: [runs to a box in the closet and shakily loads his gun] Stay here...

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Connections

References The Master: Max (1984)

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Soundtracks

That's What Your Woman Is For
Written by Johnny Salisbury
Performed by Johnny Appleseed
Courtesy of Fervor Records Vintage Masters

User Reviews

Take terrifying and titillating in one great noir.

"Sometimes the good guy wins."

Start with Cape Fear, then merge into Killer Joe with a side Touch of Evil, and you will have an inkling of how macabre and comical Cold In July can be. It touches most of the familiar neo-noir bases including being set in East Texas and in the '80's. Revenge is the name of this game--director Jim Mickle paces the suspense and blood just about right.

Richard Dane (Michael C. Hall) and his family experience a home invasion, for which Richard kills the intruder point blank. The murder is reasonable until the corpse's dad, Ben Russel (Sam Shepard, more laconic and bad than ever), shows up just out of prison to menace the Danes for the death of his son. Yet as usual in pulpy noir, not all is as it seems including the motives of the local law enforcers and the identity of the dead "son."

Add to the grimy mix the Dixie mafia, who produce snuff videos using young girls. Russel is affected because it involves his son (even bad guys have the blues.)

The revenge formula ramps up considerably and the film becomes gleefully unglued with the advent of Don Johnson's swaggering detective, Jim Bob. His red Caddy convertible with the steer horn on the grille and his florid outfits signal an out-sized noir character channeling Matthew McConaughey from Killer Joe with a touch of Orson Welles' evil south of the border. A serious pig farmer, Jim Bob is hilarious as the swashbuckling, cheesy hunter. But make no mistake—he can give physically as good as he gets with some impressive sleuth work to boot.

The center of the darkness is Richard, a seemingly solid citizen who has the ambiguous demons usually reserved for the noir hero (think of Bogey's characters). His strong revulsion at the murder passes into something less than that but more than just vigilantism. Anyway, the blood bath at the end is worth seeing for its noir excess and dark humor.

Very few characters in this delightful summer indie get out unscathed, and some indeed find July very cold.

Details

Country:

USA France

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 December 2014 (France)

Also Known As:

Cold in July

Filming Locations:

Kingston, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$40,317, 25 May 2014

Gross USA:

$427,418

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,547,630

Company Credits

Production Co:

BSM Studio, Backup Media, Bullet Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1