What exactly is black comedy? Supposedly is is dark comedy or gallows humour that makes light of a subject matter that generally taboo, or painful to discuss. Is this really the correct category for Cold Pursuit? An attempt was certainly made, but I can't help but think it should have just been a straight action flick. It certainly isn't a thriller either.
Simply put, this could near enough be a reimagining of the Taken franchise, where Liam Neeson's character was unable to save his child, and instead goes on a "rampage" of vengeance. To be fair, Cold Pursuit, starts off quite well. It's light in the character development side of things in relation of Liam Neeson's character, but the once he's in the revenge frame of mind, the remainder of the first act is pretty damn good. Showcasing some pretty realistic fight scenes, we see the logistics of carrying weapons, the fatigue that can occur while fighting, and are given a pretty good method for disposing of bodies.
However, in the second act of the film, it loses direction as Neeson is absent for most of it, instead focusing on an array of side characters that fail to really engage the audience. The acting is either over-the-top and near-cartoonish, or just absent far beyond stoicism. None of the characters feel legitimate, and theirconnections are so poorly formed that I often forget how the characters were introduced into the story.
Liam Neeson was the only saving grace in this film, and he shone while on the screen, especially his parts with Viking's son. Strangely, this movie is near enough an exact replica of director Hans Petter Moland's 2014 Norwegian film In Order of Disappearance. Exact same plot, shot for shot, but in English this time.
Perhaps due to the fact that the film is near anough an exact remake of a Norwegian film with different actors, the comedic value did not come through. There were the odd deaths that occurred off screen and the title card that announced their death got a couple of laughs, but the routine was overused or overextended, as was much the case with the other gags. there were a few chuckles in the theatre, so perhaps it may have just been an issue of the timing that didn't sit right with me. In comedy, timing is everything.
After some poor pacing in the second act that makes the film feel like it is dragging we finally get to the climax, which has a few nice set-pieces that really make use of Neeson's role as a snowplow driver, but otherwise is anti-climactic and doesn't have a strong conclusion.
Overall, the film has some nice cinematography, and some reasonable action pieces. But struggles with unnecessary characters, poor pacing, and a lack of a strong payoff in the end. They needed to pick a direction, either amping up the comedy, or removing it completely. The inconsistent tone just ruins this film.