The
Russian mob does not have much in terms of pension and disability plans, so an
aging courier slowly losing his eyesight does not have many options. He just carries on, relying on trusted
accomplices. Unfortunately, when a shipment
of cash goes awry, he will force a single mother to help him retrieve it in Tze
Chun’s Cold Comes the Night (trailer here), which opens this
Friday in New York.
Topo
can count on his partner to cover for him, but he has little confidence in the
younger man’s judgment. His lack of faith is vindicated when they stop for a
few hours shut-eye at Chloe’s no-tell motel in upstate New York. When a lurid
misadventure leads to the death of Topo’s associate and a local girl, the more
discrete older thug forces Chloe to serve as his eyes. Initially, Chloe does so to protect her young
daughter, Sophia. However, as she grows somewhat used to the grizzled Topo, she
tries to forge a temporary alliance. After
all, he seems to be a better bet than Billy, the corrupt married cop she has reluctantly
been carrying on with, who also becomes their leading suspect.
Although
Cold starts out as a mother-and-child
in jeopardy thriller (sort of the reverse of Wait Until Dark), it soon develops its own distinctive identity. Wisely, it largely removes Sophia from the
line of fire, focusing instead on Chloe’s uneasy give-and-take with Topo. There
are no cheap rehabilitations in Cold either. Topo essentially remains who he always was, even
though he develops a subtle regard for Chloe.
Admittedly,
he never breaks a sweat, but it is still fun to watch Bryan Cranston do his
thing as Topo. He seethes like a
champion and nicely projects an air of world weary existential resignation.
Despite all his instant hardnose credibility, the name Topo still automatically
brings to mind images of Topol singing “If I were a Rich Man,” which clashes
rather badly with the mood the film is going for.
As
Chloe, Alice Eve holds her own against Cranston’s Topo surprisingly well. At least, she is not a shrinking violet
Lifetime movie heroine. Young Ursula Parker is also relatively down-to-earth
and endurable as Sophia. In contrast, as
greasy Billy, Logan Marshall-Green annoyingly acts like he is channeling Bill
Paxton.
