Pulpmovies Reviews

The Cold Heat is one of those films that I have a lot of difficulty talking about. My usual approach is to chunter along with an annotated synopsis until I start to reach potential spoiler territory, at which point I start winding up with some general comments about the film.

In this case, The Cold Heat starts with a couple having sex in a hotel bedroom.

And there really isn’t a lot else I can say, not only because of the lightness of the plot but also because pretty much every plot element from here on in is a twist.

The couple (played by Shane Ryan and Michiko Jiminez) really don’t communicate with each other at all, apart from the frequent, lengthy sexual bouts, and the two actors do manage to depict very accurately exactly what sort of relationship this is.

The film itself is shot in very stark black and white, with a few flashes of colour, which does give it a very nourish look. That said, it’s more of an experimental film than a straight film noir – or maybe it’s a surreal film with a nourish flourish.

Either way, the gritty look certainly adds a lot to the atmosphere of the film.

And The Cold Heat is a film that is very heavy on the atmosphere. Not just visually, but also in audio terms with simple sounds – a cigarette lighter, a light switch – massively amplified.

The audio style threw me a little at first, but once I’d gotten used to it, I did find that it does work very effectively to help generate an increasing level of tension as the film progresses.

The film isn’t perfect and finishes on quite an open-ended note, but, as an exercise in atmosphere, it is very effective and well worth tracking down.

Feed on comments to this Post