In Cold Light – Review

A tense thriller with a passable story, In Cold Light opens with tension and rarely lets the foot off the gas. Ava Bly (Monroe) freebases in a field before the drugs take her into a stupor. She later heads to a drug den to score some more product, but unfortunately has poor timing, as the cops raid the spot sending her fleeing out a second story window.

Her escape is all for nought as eventually she is tackled, arrested and hits the jail. After a two-year stint, she finally sees the light of day again. Her twin brother Tom (Irving) is there to pick her up, and try to support her emotionally.  Her deaf father Will (Kotsur) is a rodeo bull rider, and provides less help to Ava. The twins’ mother passed away long ago.

All she knows is she can’t go back inside. She moves into a small apartment unit that her brother has purchased. She gets work at the rodeo with her pops, but can’t help but feel drawn back into her older life. Drugs make a lot more profit than regular work, and if she can just stay clean maybe there is money to be made.

Ava’s arrest put a bad taste in her mouth. She feels like she was set up. She has been out of the game for too long. She used to work with a crew and push weight. This desire puts her with her brother, ready to make a late-night deal, and with the plot’s shit ready to hit the fan. Here comes a massive spike in tension, as the story moves into its main stage…

In Cold Light was a decent time overall, but a bit disappointing in that with a few story enhancements it likely could have been much stronger. The acting is a high point, as Maika Monroe sinks into her character very well, per usual. She gets to do some new things in this than most of the other films of hers I have seen, and she makes it seem natural despite the story’s dark edge. Her unflinching take at the material helps give it credence.

The thrills are fairly well presented also, offering some pulse pounding moments and intense situations. While ultimately the plot may be a tad simple, the script plays out well. A likely small budget is not really noticed in the film’s presentation, which allows ample acting and smaller set pieces to take the stage.

If you like fast paced crime thrillers, this may work for you, but keep expectations grounded.