Nels (Liam Neeson) is a respected man within his community. He works daily as a snowplough driver, generally leading a quiet life along with his family. His day to day changes when his son is murdered at the hands of a group of drug dealers. Nels now decides to forget the police- it’s payback time for all the men who were involved. For those who are not aware, this film is in fact a remake of a 2014 Norwegian film (which I have not seen or reviewed).

For any Liam Neeson fans out there, I will proudly say upfront that this is not a blockbuster action film like some of the actor’s previous films. This time around our film presents other elements such as mystery, and surprisingly enough, Cold Pursuit can be classed as a black comedy (random humour!). Nels doesn’t own a unique set of skills where he can kill and shoot everyone down one by one. Here Nels is a character who more or less works behind the scenes making sure the drug dealers all fall/fail one by one while Nels pretends to lead a healthy life and convince everyone in the outside world that everything is standard in his life. There are so many characters throughout this film that some might be surprised to find how often the leading actor Liam Neeson is off-screen. At the same time, we see other characters (particular the silly bad guys) plot, plan and make witty one-liners with one another.

From an audio and visual front, Cold Pursuit is a very gritty looking film. Considering it’s set in the snow, you won’t find anything pretty in this dark revenge tale. The sound effects are awesome but the film doesn’t carry any type of soundtrack for those who seek extra added suspense from that avenue.

Overall, Cold Pursuit is a revenge tale that gives multiple surprises and even throws in a few random jokes (great for those who love a film with black humour). The film is loaded with many side characters which causes the film to at times lose the focus of our leading main character. I must admit that the film’s ending/final scene also left me a bit shocked, stunned and speechless (those who have seen the film will know what I’m saying here). Cold Pursuit is worth a look but those who seek Liam Neeson throwing kicks and shooting bullets might be slightly disappointed.

6.6/10

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Review Written by Peter Walkden