This month’s review is another adaptation, this time of Joe R. Lansdale’s book, “Cold in July,” about a man in east Texas and the mess he gets himself in.
The only thing Richard Dane (Michael C. Hall) ever wanted was to protect his family. And one night, when he and his wife awaken to the sound of breaking glass in their east Texas home, Richard gets that opportunity.
Our quiet, mullet-wearing everyman immediately breaks out his gun to protect his wife and son, but jumpy nerves cause him to misfire and kill the unarmed intruder. The police comfort Richard, telling him the intruder was Freddy Russell, a wanted felon, and that he merely pulled the trigger out of self-defense. It seems, according to the whole of the police force, that Richard did the right thing.
Unfortunately, Freddy’s father, Ben Russell (Sam Shepard), doesn’t think so. Ben has just gotten parole, and, when he sees Richard at the funeral, threatens him and his own son, calm and confident. Richard goes to the police, and after some slight difficulties, the police take action, using the Dane family as bait in order to take in Ben.
However, Richard feels that something is awry when he spots a picture of Freddy in the police station that doesn’t look like the man he killed. He does some snooping, and ends up running into Ben again, this time teaming up with him and a pig-farmer-gone-detective, Jim Bob Luke (Don Johnson), as they realize that the police are covering up something big—something involving the Dixie Mafia.
There are plenty of plot holes in this thriller. Richard starts off wanting to know whom he killed and then drops the search at some point. Also, he and the man who just terrorized his family seem pretty quick to jump on the same team to work together.
It is fair to say that director Jim Mickle focused on drawing out the action instead of finding a seamless plot, but the film is gripping, nonetheless, and draws you into a fascinating scenario as the three men take fate into their own hands. Hall leads with a quiet yet resolute performance, and Johnson charms his way through the film. But Shepard gives the most heartbreaking performance as his character wrestles with the situation at hand, transforming from a chilling baddie to a jaded father.
The performances are just part of the fun. The film’s 1980s-style art direction (did I mention Hall’s mullet?) draws you into the characters’ world, right down to the synth-y score by Jeff Grace. The film basically has all the general necessities of a fun watch: some great actors, a little action and violence, and a bit of humor. Overall, “Cold In July” is enjoyable and definitely something you should check out.
Sammi Leigh Melville is a staff member and film reviewer at the Midtown Cinema.
Midtown Cinema June Events
1st Sunday Brunch & a Movie
6/1 10:30 a.m. brunch and 11 a.m. screening of “Shakespeare in Love”
2nd Sunday Foreign Series
6/8 7 p.m. Fritz Lang’s 1927 German sci-fi drama “Metropolis”
2nd Friday Outdoor Film Series
6/13 Starts at dusk. The 1988 Tom Hanks comedy “Big”
2nd Saturday Morning Cartoons
6/14 Looney Toons 9:30-11:30
3rd Sunday Down in Front! Comedy riffing w/Jennie Adams
6/18 7 p.m. “Fire Maidens of Outer Space” (1956) BYOB
3rd in the Burg $3 Movie
6/20 9:30ish Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 musical romance “Moulin Rouge” BYOB
3rd Saturday Morning Cartoons
6/21 Looney Toons 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Sunday 6/22 2 p.m.
Short Film Micro Festival of PA filmmakers. Pay-what-you-will, showing the films “28 Hot Dogs,” “Here,” “Sitting,” “Fade In” and “Autumn”
4th Friday Outdoor Film Series
6/27 Starts at dusk. Spielberg’s 1981 “Raiders of the Lost Ark”
Sunday 6/29 4-7 p.m. Electric Car Fair
w/ 7p.m. screening of the 2011 documentary “Revenge of the Electric Car”
Sammi Leigh Melville is a staff member and film reviewer at the Midtown Cinema.
