Dead of Winter

Dead of Winter is a beginning to end thriller that doesn’t play around with a lot of yap yap. If you like being thrown into a cat and mouse, live or die scenario this one is for you. A very recognizable cast who take on unexpected roles. Check it out in theaters September 26th!

Synopsis: A woman, travelling alone through snowbound northern Minnesota, interrupts the kidnapping of a teenage girl. Hours from the nearest town and with no phone service, she realizes that she is the young girl’s only hope. | 97m | Rated R for violence and language

Emma Thompson co-stars in this one and shows that survival knows no age limit. Thompson plays Barb, a widow looking to do some ice fishing and soul comforting in a brutal Minnesota winter. We only know a little of her background and not much more once it is all done. What we discover along the way is that she is scrappy and keep her word. She never hesitates to risk her own life once she discovers a captive young woman named Leah (Laurel Marsden) in a remote cabin.

We have seen Emma do romance, comedy, and a bit of action. Here we see a whole new Emma as she has to run, gun, and out think her enemy. Her enemy in this one is another casting choice that is not what we are used to. Judy Greer who we have seen lately taking on the mom roles gets to put on her villain hat, and now I don’t want to see her do anything else. Other than Barb and Leah no one in this movie has a name, Instead they are credited only by what they are wearing. The film takes place in one full day so they wear the same thing the whole time.

We get a bit of the “why is this woman kidnapped” answer from the dialogue between Judy Greer and her husband (Marc Menchaca). The reasoning is thin, but that is ok because we are really just there for the thrills. Barb is trying everything to get this young woman saved, but in the middle of a barren winter woods there is no help. Even the elements are against her.

There are moments the film feels like a covid film. Those times where a director, a few crew members, and a sparse cast go out in the middle of nowhere and make a movie. That is not a bad thing, but does give you an idea what you will get. The story has a lot of holes and unresolved arcs. The most solid story line is Barb. This is her journey and most of the writing effort was spent making her story plausible and grounded.

The violence and language gives it an R rating. There are lots of shots fired but with only four main cast members, not too many bullets hit a target. If so the movie would have been 10-minutes long. Probably as good a streamer as an in theater experience. You can’t go wrong with Emma Thompson even in a film where she is slipping and sliding with a strong Minnesotan accent.