Cold in July

2014 • 110 minutes
4.0
288 reviews
84%
Tomatometer
Eligible
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About this movie

On a sweltering Texas summer night in 1989, husband and father Richard Dane (Dexter's Michael C. Hall) awakens to the sound of a burglar breaking into his home. In a panic, he shoots the intruder dead—but this nightmare is only just beginning. Although he's hailed as a small-town hero, Dane soon finds himself fearing for his family's safety when the burglar's ex-con father, Ben (Sam Shepard), rolls into town; hell-bent on revenge. However, not all is as it seems. Misled by the cops and desperate for answers, Richard embarks on an increasingly berserk, bloodstained quest to discover what really happened that night. The plot twists pile up faster than the body count in this blistering mystery of vengeance and vice, directed by Jim Mickle (Stake Land, We Are What We Are) with scene-stealing performances from Sam Shepard and Don Johnson as a pair of Texan badasses. Based on the novel by Joe R. Lansdale.

Ratings and reviews

4.0
288 reviews
Early Black
March 11, 2015
This is a solid crime mystery thriller. Strong likeable performances especially from Sam Elliott and Don Johnson. There's some nice twists and turns in the story. And the time period doesn't feel manufactured it feels & looks like the late 80s you buy it. There's a nice build up to the bloody violent climax. Top-notch indie film worth checking out.
5 people found this review helpful
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robert appleton
November 3, 2014
I enjoyed this movie, but to me it has a huge hole in the plot. I can't for the life of me understand why the cop tries to kill Ben, when he's going to be sent back to jail anyway. I kept waiting for the movie to somehow re-weave the cop into the story but it never came.
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Florence Tiberius Baker-Gray
August 5, 2016
Great film that has this neo-noir aesthetic and tone to it. Lots of twists and turns as the film slowly boils to a violent and extremely satisfying conclusion. Michael C Hall is fantastic, as is Sam Shepard. Don Johnson also steals the show. Highly recommend it.
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