“Dead of Winter” came to my attention during an episode of the Hot Takes Podcast. The name may sound like horror, but the film is an old-school styled thriller that moves fast and keeps you hooked from jump.
It’s a small but highly effective cast, with some popular names playing surprising characters, and doing so quite well. The film was directed by Brian Kirk and written by Nicholas Jacobson-Larson and Dalton Leeb.
Channeling the Coen brother’s crime classic “Fargo,” “Dead of Winter” is set in northern Minnesota, where isolation and a bleak frozen landscape surround the characters.
Baby its Cold Outside
Cinematographer Christopher Ross is masterful at the presentation of the setting. Not only is it winter. It’s a Baltic landscape where the ground hasn’t seen the sun in months. It looks bitter cold. And it feels unpleasant, despite the surreal beauty.
Photos of the northern part of Minnesota show it as breathtaking in its presence, though this movie was filmed in Finland and Germany. Sweeping aerials show a vast remoteness that’s almost impossible to envision.
Our main character, Barb (Emma Thompson) is a proud local. We can tell right away she knows and loves her rural turf. The film opens with Barb driving across the unplowed backwoods streets and crossing a mammoth bridge over frozen waters and I felt anxiety just watching.
Barb is looking for a small lake but inadvertently stumbles across a vicious crime that’s better experienced viewing than reading. It’s a normal encounter with an awkward local. Until she spots blood in the snow near his truck and draws suspicion about his isolated cabin.
Perfect Cast
When I think of Emma Thompson, I think of elegance. Barb is the opposite of that, and Thompson plays the character well. She’s mastered the Minnesota accent and niceness we all know from “Fargo” and displays a ruggish toughness that fits the character. I’d like to see her pair with Liam Neeson for the next over-the-top action thriller.
Judy Greer and Marc Menchaca portray the bad guys and are equally strong. Judy Greer transforms from cutie to unhinged druggie and psychopath with a complex and well-crafted back story. Her nameless character carries a sniper rifle and constantly sucks on fentanyl lozenges like a child licking a lollipop. It’s a great aspect to the character and the history that has brought her to this dire situation.
Marc Menchaca is solid supporting the crime as Greer’s sheepish husband. We get the sense he doesn’t really want to be doing what he is doing, and its a nice compliment for the character. Laurel Marsden lends support.
Fun Ride
“Dead of Winter” is a fast 98 minutes. There were aspects I didn’t love, specifically the ending but its not enough to spoil the rest.
It calls back simple and effective thrillers from the past. The acting is excellent and the setting ill make you reach for a blanket.
