Nels Coxman's quiet life as a snowplow driver comes crashing down when his beloved son dies under mysterious circumstances. His search for the truth soon becomes a quest for revenge against a psychotic drug lord named Viking and his sleazy henchmen. Transformed from upstanding citizen to coldblooded vigilante, Coxman unwittingly sets off a chain of events that includes a kidnapping, a series of deadly misunderstandings and a turf war between Viking and a rival boss.
When I first heard of Cold Pursuit, the trailers were a little bit misleading. They made me think this was going to be a Taken-esque action thriller, much like most of Liam Neeson's recent movies in the last few years. What I didn't realize, was 2 things: First, Cold Pursuit actually ended up being more along the lines of Ocean's 11-13 with it being an action comedy. Or more accurately, a dark comedy, given the nature of the story. Secondly, I never realized this was an American remake of a Norwegian film titled In Order of Disappearance. It also had the same director for both movies. I'd never seen nor even heard of the Norwegian film before, so I'm definitely going to have to watch that now.
Since I wasn't expecting that tone, the first 15-20 minutes threw me for a loop before I was able to relax into it and enjoy the rest of the movie. After that, I really did enjoy it. Sure, it's not anywhere near Liam Neeson's best role(s), or movie in general. It's certainly not the type of movie to be in any conversations during Oscar season. But for what it's worth, I thought it was really good. Also, now that I know what to expect, I'm planning on going back through and watching it again with a clearer and more open mind to get a sense of the entire movie, not just after the first 20 minutes.
I feel confident in saying that fans of the Ocean's series, as well as Fargo will enjoy Cold Pursuit. I know I did. There are some people who might be a little uneasy about the over exaggerated stereotypes throughout the movie, but if you can get past that and the dark humor, then I would highly suggest checking this out.
