Prey, In Cold Blood (2016)
Matt Boiselle
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Starring Darri Kristin, Michael J.Keeney, Mark Coyan
Directed by Alexander Hwang
I honestly believe that if the plot of a film were to involve friends getting together for an afternoon brunch, as opposed to a weekend getaway at a secluded cabin, it would most likely mean the death for some horror films and their stale directional approach. However, Alexander Hwang’s thriller Prey, In Cold Blood attempts to swing for the fences with said “cabin getaway”, and flails like an undisciplined batter at the plate.
The movie, which doesn’t necessarily fall into the horror genre, instead uses a survival mentality in order to convey its sensations and throw the audience a few “holy shit” moments…so close, yet so far away. The film focuses on a small group of friends (and NOT teenagers, mind you) that are taking the long, scenic route to the aforementioned secluded chalet in the forest, and when one metal-detecting member of the group manages to dig up something that will fill his pockets with some fat stacks of green, trouble soon arises. You see, hot on the trail of the already unearthed “golden ticket” are a couple of hunters and a bad-ass ex-con who are looking to get their greasy paws on this potential windfall.
As the movie trudges along, we see a different side of our happy band of pals begin to take shape as conflicts arise, and while the emotions run fairly hot in this one, and the blood begins to flow, I just couldn’t help but focus on the fact that the performances from the cast subtracted from the overall product. Hwang’s got a really good format here, and under the right circumstances, could make this a rock-solid flick with the correct casting, but I was a bit hesitant to carry on during some points of the film – that’s how lackluster I felt the acting was. When one steps way back and views this one from afar, you’ll get the feeling of a tightly-wrought thinking person’s thriller, with elements of deceit and at times, solemn undertakings…now under the microscope, Prey, In Cold Blood has all the makings of a heavy hitter, but ultimately suffers under its own crushing weight – low-budget crime dogs will dig this one, but probably not too many other hounds will hunt.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
