‘Dead of Winter’ Review
Stars: Emma Thompson, Judy Greer, Marc Menchaca, Laurel Marsden, Gaia Wise, Cúán Hosty-Blaney, Dalton Leeb, Paul Hamilton, Lloyd Hutchinson, Brían F. O’Byrne | Written by Nicholas Jacobson-Larson, Dalton Leeb | Directed by Brian Kirk
Emma Thompson goes full Fargo in Dead of Winter, a gripping, snowbound thriller from director Brian Kirk. Compellingly twisted, beautifully shot and full of surprises, it’s one of the best films of the year.
Adopting a strong Minnesota accent that further underscores the film’s echoes of the Coen Brothers’ Fargo, Emma Thompson plays Barb, a kind-hearted sixty-something woman who’s recently lost her terminally ill husband, with whom she once ran a bait-and-tackle store. Filled with nostalgia, and reminiscing about their first ice-fishing date together on a remote frozen lake (Thompson’s real-life daughter Gaia Wise plays the young Barb in flashback sequences), Barb travels to the lake to scatter her late husband’s ashes, but she gets more than she bargained for when she stumbles upon a kidnapping plot orchestrated by a bearded man (Marc Menchaca) and his calculating wife (Judy Greer).
Having spotted a young woman (Laurel Marsden) tied up in the couple’s basement, Barb attempts to lead them away from the house long enough to free her. But something goes wrong and she soon finds herself targeted by the sinister duo in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse.
Thompson is wonderful as Barb, conveying a wealth of heartbreaking emotion just with a wistful look before each flashback sequence, and finding unexpected reserves of strength and resourcefulness at every turn. In addition to channelling Fargo’s Marge Gunderson, she also taps into none other than John Rambo at one point, performing gruesome post-gunshot surgery on herself with just a fishing hook and some twine.
Judy Greer is always a reliably brilliant presence in support, but she’s in particularly fine form here, giving her character a shockingly ruthless edge, the reasons for which gradually become apparent. Similarly, Marc Menchaca is great value as the husband, who might not be quite the scarily violent criminal he initially appears.
Nicholas Jacobson-Larson and Dalton Leeb’s screenplay keeps the action moving at a decent pace, even when various characters sustain injuries. Admittedly, there is the occasional plot hole – the kidnappers don’t seem all that bothered about witnesses at one point – but the story is gripping enough to skirt over them. In addition, Kirk creates a strong sense of atmosphere and place, heightened by Christopher Ross’ gorgeous cinematography, which makes the most of the stunning locations – basically Finland, standing in for Northern Minnesota.
On top of that, there are some surprisingly nasty gore effects – not just the aforementioned fishhook surgery, but some wince-inducing injuries as well. To that end, the comparisons with Fargo are entirely apt, although there’s something of a missed opportunity, given that the extremely prominent ice drills are never put to deadly use at any point.
In short, Dead of Winter is an unexpectedly grisly pleasure, thanks to strong direction from Brian Kirk, a sharp script and a wonderful, maybe even career-best central performance from Emma Thompson. Don’t miss it.
**** 4/5
Dead of Winter is on limited release in the UK and Ireland now.
