In Cold Light feels like it wandered in from a different decade. Not in a cosplay way, not drenched in retro fetishism, but in tone. It carries that lean, mean, morally murky energy of a late-night cable thriller from the 70s or 80s. The grime feels lived in. The danger feels close. The world feels small, but the consequences feel enormous.
Directed by Maxime Giroux and written by Patrick Whistler, the film follows Ava, played by Maika Monroe, fresh out of prison and determined to reclaim her old drug operation. Things go sideways quickly. She is framed for murder, hunted by police, and targeted by a ruthless crime boss played by Helen Hunt. Caught in the crossfire is her estranged father, portrayed by Troy Kotsur, whose presence adds an emotional undercurrent that the script only partially explores.
Let’s be honest. This is Maika Monroe’s movie from frame one. She is perfectly cast. If someone pitched this as her Good Time, it would not be entirely wrong. It just is not on that level. Maybe this is more like Mediocre Time. The difference is that Monroe does not treat it like a lesser project. She transforms completely, as she always seems to. It is wild how much of a chameleon she is from role to role. After going toe to toe with nightmare fuel in Longlegs, seeing her operate in stripped-down crime mode is refreshing. She carries herself like someone who has been hardened by prison and betrayal, but still has something fragile buried underneath.
The cinematography does a lot of heavy lifting alongside her. Shot in Québec and Alberta, the film makes excellent use of its wide open spaces and small-town textures. Big skies, empty roads, rodeo backdrops, hazy streets soaked in red and blue light. There are shots that feel like the end of a long, drunken night and others that feel like sitting on a porch at dawn after a hard rain. During one chase scene, infrared camera footage slips in seamlessly. It is not flashy for the sake of it. It fits. It works. It adds to the tension rather than distracting from it.
Speaking of tension, my body was tight for most of the runtime. The synth and drum-heavy score pulses in sync with Ava’s rising panic. It never overwhelms but always nudges. The makeup work deserves a nod too. Bullet wounds and fight damage look painfully real without turning the film into splatter porn.
Tonally, it brushes up against the territory of Blood Simple or even something like Killer Joe, though it is less violent than either. The Coen-esque comparison feels earned in mood if not in narrative complexity. The story itself is simple. Clean lines. Clear stakes. In many ways, that simplicity is its strength. The execution is sharp enough that you go with it.
That said, the plot and relationships could have used more breathing room. At 96 minutes, it feels slightly compressed. The dynamic between Monroe and Kotsur is strong, but it hints at layers the script does not fully peel back. Helen Hunt is icy and effective, yet her character also feels like she could have been expanded into something even more formidable. There are a few conveniences in the storytelling that you notice in hindsight.
The ending might divide people. At first, it feels abrupt. The more you sit with it, the more it settles into place. It is not flashy. It is not sentimental. It is cold. Appropriately so.
Distributed by Saban Films, In Cold Light is not operating on the level of a prestige crime epic. It is smaller. Scrappier. Maybe even below Monroe’s pay grade. But it is competent, tense, and anchored by three very strong performances. If you love crime thrillers, you will at least like this. If you are already a Monroe fan, you will probably love watching her chew through it.
Simple concept. Strong execution. One hell of a lead performance. Sometimes that is enough.
Jessie Hobson