Dead of Winter
Emma Thompson ice fishes in Fargo country and catches cold-blooded killers in Brian Kirk’s throwback thriller.
Uff da: Emma Thompson
Image courtesy of Vertical Entertainment.
Thrillers of the 90s and early 00s loomed large in cinemas and on video store shelves. They offered a big-name actor in peril, with enough action and suspense to warrant the rental price. With third acts that often went off the rails, they weren’t winning any awards but were the popcorn pleasers of their day. It’s the kind of mid-budget film that either no longer gets made or skips theatres for streaming obscurity. It’s refreshing to see a solid thriller of this ilk make it to the multiplex — and with female leads to boot.
Filmed in Finland and set in Minnesota, Dead of Winter stars two-time Oscar winner Emma Thompson as Barb, the bereaved widow of an angler and bait-and-tackle owner. Her husband Carl’s last wishes take her on a trip to Lake Hilda, where they first kindled their romance over ice fishing and a couple of cold ones. That heartwarming story takes a detour for Thompson’s Taken moment when Barb gets lost on the backroads and stumbles onto a couple of kidnappers at a remote mountain cabin — Purple Lady (Judy Greer) and Camo Jacket (Marc Menchaca), as they’re listed in the credits. Without a way to phone for help, she uses her special set of survival skills from a life lived in harsh conditions to attempt a rescue, but being Minnesota nice comes with a price.
As resourceful as Barb is, she’s a little careless when it comes to covering her tracks, which feels a lot like that 90s thriller moment where the hero decides to discard their one and only weapon. Then again, she does have other things on her mind. Gaia Wise (Thompson’s real-life daughter) plays the young Barb in flashbacks intended as emotional counterpoints to the action, but these idyllic glimpses of Barb and Carl in sunny days feel more like redundant disruptors. Particularly as Thompson’s face has already told us everything we need to know. Given the situation, it feels circumspect that this woman would take the time to stop and have a little reminisce amid the danger and chaos surrounding her.
Emma Thompson never misses, and as Barb she hooks you from the first frame, infusing the character with a rich inner life. Judy Greer has fun chewing the snow as a gun-toting, fentanyl-lolly-sucking psycho hellbent on succeeding in her scheme, while Marc Menchaca’s milquetoast husband adds some appreciated levity. DP Christopher Ross makes the most of the frosty Midwestern setting, with his lens finding striking beauty in Finland’s snowbound vistas and the opening shot of Barb alone at her kitchen table. The script from Nicholas Jacobson-Larson and Dalton Leeb captures some succinct dialogue, like when Barb notices blood in the snow and Camo Jacket neatly explains, “Deer”, but the story’s logic ultimately collapses like a snow bridge underfoot. Barb’s only real edge is her low profile, so why does she insist on leaving so many clues behind? By the time the fire-and-ice finale offers a classic hero/villain standoff, the initial sharp hook of the story has completely gone fishin’. There’s one moment of real poignancy near the end involving a stove flame. A perfectly serviceable chiller: just lower your line, and enjoy it before it thaws.
CHAD KENNERK
Cast: Emma Thompson, Judy Greer, Marc Menchaca, Laurel Marsden, Gaia Wise, Cúán Hosty-Blaney, Brían F. O'Byrne.
Dir Brian Kirk, Pro Jon Berg, Jeff Boulton, Oana Iancu, Jonas Katzenstein, Maximilian Leo, Greg Silverman, Gideon Yu, Screenplay Nicholas Jacobson-Larson, Dalton Leeb, Ph Christopher Ross, Pro Des David Hindle, Ed Tim Murrell, Music Volker Bertelmann, Costumes Natalie Humphries, Sound Corinna Fleig.
Stampede Ventures/Augenschein Filmproduktion/Crafthaus/Film-und Medienstiftung NRW/MMC Studios/Stampede Studios/Wild Bunch Germany/Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen-Vertical Entertainment (US)/Vertigo Releasing (UK).
98 mins. USA/Finland/Germany. 2025. UK and US Rel: 26 September 2025. Cert. 15 (UK), R (US).
