Cold Comes the Night

In frigid upstate New York, Eastern European thug Topo (Bryan Cranston) is being chauffeured through Greene County by his nephew to deliver a bag of money to a kingpin across the border in Montreal. The pair make a brief stop at a seedy roadside motel—frequented by hookers and drug users—that is managed by hard-working single mother Chloe (Alice Eve), who is worried about her young daughter, Sophia (Ursula Parker), the target of a social services worker threatening to take her into custody unless Chloe finds more “appropriate” housing within two weeks. After Topo's nephew tangles with a prostitute, the dead bodies of both are discovered by a corrupt cop, Billy (Logan Marshall-Green), who confiscates the Jeep Cherokee that Topo arrived in. Ruthless Topo, who is nearly blind, threatens to kill Sophia unless Chloe will help him recover the valuable stash that is hidden in the impounded SUV. Filmmaker Tze Chun's Cold Comes the Night begins with a pervasive aura of treacherous violence and atmospheric isolation but winds up failing to make good on its early promise. Optional, at best. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes (7 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a small extras package for an unremarkable film.] (S. Granger)