Cold Comes the Night Blu-ray Review

    Actors: Alice Eve, Bryan Cranston, Logan Marshall-Green

Directors: Tze Chun

Format: AC-3, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: Danish, English, Greek, Norwegian, Swedish

Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1

Number of discs: 1

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Release Date: March 4, 2014

Run Time: 90 minutes

 

        Fresh off of his success with “Breaking Bad,” Bryan Cranston is going to have to work hard to break away from the crime genre. This is somewhat ironic considering the monumental role of Walter White broke the comedic persona gained from years on the sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle.” Cold Comes the Night is not a groundbreaking film, nor is it a career-defining role from Cranston, though the seemingly unnecessary choice to make his character speak with a thick Russian accent at least gives the actor a chance to escape type casting. If only the editors had done a better job of cutting out the lines or takes in which Cranston’s accent slips away, this performance may have helped the otherwise standard thriller narrative.   

 

        Cranston plays a seasoned criminal named Topo on a routine delivery, taking a large sum of money hidden in his vehicle to a dangerous employer across the country. Nearly blind, Topo relies on his companion to do the driving. When this driver makes a deadly mistake with a prostitute at a motel along the way, Topo finds himself stranded with his vehicle impounded by a corrupt cop (Logan Marshall-Green). In order to get the package back, which ends up being a bloodier task than expected, Topo enlists the reluctant help of motel manager, Chloe (Alice Eve). Chloe is struggling to raise her young daughter in an unsuitable environment, and eventually shifts from unwilling hostage to accomplice with such a large sum of money at stake.

 

        There are some great sequences in this film, not necessarily of action but of violence. They are well shot and choreographed, but aren’t quite enough to make up for the fact that even at 90-minutes this material is stretched a bit too thin. And thanks to a heavily covered genre, there is little about the film which hasn’t been seen before. Even with the benefit of Cranston’s performance, the predictability of the narrative may dull the edge off of the entertainment for some viewers.

 

        The special features include a few deleted scenes.

 

Entertainment Value: 7.5/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 7/10

Historical Significance: 5/10

Special Features: 2/10

 

 

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