[7]

Cold in July is hard to summarize, and that’s a big part of why it’s interesting. It starts off with a bang, as Michael C. Hall (TV’s Dexter) is forced to protect his home from an intruder. No sooner than the blood is off the walls, Hall’s character learns the deceased was the son of an ex-con out for vengeance, played by Sam Shepard. But as soon as Hall and Shepard have their big confrontation, Cold in July transforms itself into an unlikely male bonding movie. Hall and Shepard unite forces to confront an even more sordid evil, and enlist a charismatic cowboy detective played by Don Johnson to help them in their quest.

With a screenplay more unpredictable than most and its beguiling trio of male leads, Cold in July kept me pretty glued to the screen for the duration of its run time. I don’t know for sure what I should take away from the experience, but then not knowing can be pretty refreshing, don’t you think?