The Big Picture

Liam Neeson’s performance in Cold Pursuit stands out among his other action films due to its morbid sense of humor and extreme violence. The film explores themes of addiction, grief, and depression, presenting a more mature characterization of Neeson’s character. Nels’ use of his snowplowing skills as a weapon adds a unique and darkly comedic element to the film, highlighting his average blue-collar background.

It’s easy to forget that up until a decade ago, Liam Neeson wasn’t exactly known for action films. Neeson was considered to be a rather straightforward dramatic actor ever since his breakout role in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 classic Schindler’s List, but his performance in the action film Taken ended up being the first of many action roles. Neeson has rarely stepped outside the “action revenge thriller” genre in the last decade of his career. His action films tend to run together due to how similar they are; it can be hard to identify how films like The Marksman, Honest Thief, Blacklight, Retribution, and The Commuter are distinct from each other. However, Neeson’s performance in the 2019 action thriller Cold Pursuit ended up being an outlier in his action resume, thanks to its morbid sense of humor and more extreme ultra violence. Many of Neeson’s action films are tongue-in-cheek, but Cold Pursuit keeps things serious with its dark ending.

Cold Pursuit A grieving snowplow driver seeks out revenge against the drug dealers who killed his son. Cast Liam Neeson, Laura Dern, Micheal Neeson, Michael Eklund, Bradley Stryker, Wesley MacInnes Rating R Runtime 119 Genres Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller Studio Studiocanal

Liam Neeson Gets Revenge for His Son’s Murder in ‘Cold Pursuit’
Image via StudioCanal

Liam Neeson starred in Cold Pursuit as Nels Coxman, a lonely snowplow operator whose son Kyle (Micheál Richardson) is found dead under suspicious circumstances. Although the official investigation points to a drug overdose, Coxman argues that this is impossible because his son “wasn’t a druggie.” After investigating some of the local drug-related crimes, Nels discovers that many of the deaths in his hometown are linked back to the ruthless drug lord Trevor Calcote (Tom Bateman), who goes by the moniker “Viking.” Viking is the leader of a dangerous Denver drug cartel that has been dispensing heroin throughout the area. Revenge is a dish best served cold, and not just because Cold Pursuit takes place in Colorado. Nels uses a mechanical device to impale Viking, killing him and earning his revenge.

Nels is the only man who lost his child to Viking’s drugs. After Nels murdered three of Viking’s goons, the psychopathic drug lord thought that his rival criminal White Bull Legrew (Tom Jackson) was responsible. Viking murders White Bull’s son out of revenge, sparking a bloody cartel war between the two criminal gangs. White Bull may be a criminal, but he’s not necessarily without morals. He ends up teaming with Nels when they realize that both of their children were killed due to Viking’s savagery. This makes the ending satisfying for both characters because Viking’s death fulfills both characters’ desire for revenge. Nels and White Bull drive away into an unknown future; while it’s unclear if the two men will end up working together in the future, their brief partnership allowed them both to see justice served. The brutality of Viking’s demise makes Cold Pursuit a rewarding revenge film.

‘Cold Pursuit’ Deals With Addiction and Heartbreak
Image via StudioCanal

While Nels’ quest of vengeance makes him fairly intimidating, Cold Pursuit indicates that he is an inherently good man and was a good father to Kyle. In order to hold leverage over Viking, Nels kidnaps his son, Ryan (Nicholas Holmes), from an elite preparatory school. While this gives him a strategic advantage, Nels recognizes that Ryan isn’t responsible for his father’s crimes, and that dragging him into the conflict won’t bring him any satisfaction. This reminds him of the relationship that he had with his own son — Kyle’s death wasn’t the result of any wrong deed on his part. Nels may not have been able to protect Kyle from the evils of the world, but he is able to protect Ryan when his father isn’t able to. During the brief moments that Nels shares with Ryan, he offers the boy comfort and protection and ironically ends up learning more about Ryan than he ever did about Kyle.

This more mature characterization is one of the reasons that Cold Pursuit feels so unique in comparison to Neeson’s other action films. While there’s just as much graphic action as any Neeson fan would expect, the film deals with serious issues like grief, addiction, and depression. Early on in the film, Nels sinks into a depressive state as he mourns Kyle’s death. The film shows the devastating effect that Kyle’s death has on Nels’ marriage to Kyle’s mother Grace (Laura Dern), who leaves him. Nels feels that he must do something to ensure that justice is served, as the local cops Kim Dash (Emmy Rossum) and John Gipsky (John Doman) have done almost nothing to help. While finding Kyle’s killers is Nels’ way of making up for the cops’ mistakes, it also gives him a purpose in the wake of his family’s collapse.

Nels’ Snow Plowing Skills Are Useful After All

It’s important that Nels uses one of the heavy machines that he uses at work to kill Viking. Shortly after his son’s death, Nels begins to reflect on the meaninglessness of his life’s work. He’s spent his entire life working for the good of his community, but in the end, it wasn’t enough to save the person that he cared about most. Nels questions if the skills that he has been using as a snowplower have any real value; he’s handed the Citizen of the Year trophy by the community, but it feels oddly weightless when his son isn’t there to celebrate it with him. By using this machine to kill Viking, Nels realizes that his skills do have value. Nels has gotten used to the snowy weather, and is rewarded for having survived in such a brutal environment.

Using the machine isn’t the first time that Nels uses nontraditional weapons to take down his enemies, either. Unlike the characters in Neeson’s other action and revenge films, Nels isn’t a super spy, a former military man, a gunslinger, or a superhero. He’s simply an average blue collar worker, and knows very little about the type of advanced weaponry that Viking’s goons utilize. Nels kills Viking’s men using tools like a shovel, plow, and saw. This is a creative way to show Nels’ unique skill set, and adds a dash of dark comedy to the film. Cold Pursuit was directed by Hans Petter Moland, and serves as a loose remake of his 2014 Norwegian film In Order of Disappearance. Both versions of the film have a morbid sense of humor due to the tragic ironies in the characters’ lives.

Cold Pursuit is streaming on Netflix in the U.S.

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