Cold Comes the Night Review
By David Kempler
Cold, Dark, and Pleasantly Messy
Tze Chun has created a simple and small adventure in his "Cold Comes the Night". It very quickly establishes the setting as a motel not far from Albany, New York, that serves as a haven for druggies and prostitutes. Unpleasant things permeate every corner here. Even sunlight never seems to penetrate the ever-present dankness.
Chloe (Alice Eve) is a single mother who lives with her young daughter at the motel she manages. She is feeling the pressure of child services who want to take her daughter away because of the unsavory surroundings she is living in. Chloe wants desperately to find a way out of this life and her desperation plays a major role in how she reacts to the obstacles and opportunities that present themselves.
When a double-murder occurs in the motel, we meet Billy (Logan Marshall Green), a sleazy cop who had some sort of relationship with Chloe that may or may not still be active. One gets the feeling that there is something there, but that it has passed its apex and now is more a case of Billy still being interested in the occasional roll in the sack and Chloe agreeing reluctantly, while playing the angle of how can this help her and her daughter.
Enter Topo (Bryan Cranston), a near-blind professional killer who has found himself at the motel for a quick stopover on his way to do his business further to the north. Unfortunately for Topo, his driver is the guy who was part of the double-murder that just occurred, and his vision prevents him from driving on, not to mention that his car has been impounded.
Topo's solution is to take Chloe hostage under the threat that he will put a bullet in her daughter's ear if Chloe does not cooperate. The rest of "Cold Comes the Night" is about Topo and Chloe's trek to get the vehicle back and to recover the valuable commodity that has disappeared from the vehicle.
At some points, the plot takes turns that are pretty easy to predict. Yet, at other times there are some interesting plot twists that keep the audience guessing. These are the moments that sustain our interest. Cranston does a good job, despite an accent that is an odd Russian gruff tone designed to make us fear him, which is somewhat successful. "Cold Comes the Night" is far from outstanding, but considering that it is a low-budget venture, it succeeds well enough to be wandering out into a cold night to see.
