As with all of my reviews of films for The Creepercast, I fully recommend that you check each and every one of them out. I am one man and this is my opinion. I've seen plenty of movies that received reviews that were the complete opposite of how I saw the film. These writers, directors, producers and actors all put a lot of time and love into these projects. They deserve to be seen and appreciated for what they are. Everyone has a dream and I fully support the people that take the time to make theirs a reality. With that being said....
Before we get started, let's talk about the elephant in the room. While I don't believe that this film is horror, it's hitting Shudder on March 15th, which is a primarily horror based streaming service. Then you take into consideration some other films that seem to get qualified as horror, that I don't agree with that distinction. 'The Silence of the Lambs' and 'I Saw the Devil', being the two closest analogs I can think of to 'Die Hölle aka Cold Hell'. There are certainly others, but that's not why I'm here, to dispute what qualifies as a horror film. After all is said and done and I've gone home for the day, this film was amazing, regardless of it's classification. I, personally, would throw it into the revenge thriller or serial killer genre, but that's a slippery slope. Case in point, 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer' or 'August Underground'. Those films are about serial killers, but have crossed that line into horror. I think where the line ends up for me, is what's more reality based horror. While the earlier examples border more on the dramatic side to a bit of the fantastical, the latter two fall much more on the true horror of man to another man. Not unlike the home invasion genre, which to me is one of the ultimate horrors. Nothing more frightening than having the safety of your own home destroyed. I can watch Jason Voorhees do his thing for hours and never think twice, but the film 'Secuestrados aka Kidnapped' (2010), I never need to see again. It left a permanent scar. So, now that I've set the tone for this review, let's talk about the plot. For once, I didn't write this myself, as I felt like letting Shudder do the talking for me.
Synopsis courtesy of the Shudder press release: "Özge is a young Turkish-born taxi driver, who attends evening classes and is also an ambitious Thai-boxer. She rarely speaks and trains hard. One day she witnesses an extremely brutal murder. The suspect is an insane serial killer, inspired by Islam. And he is convinced that Özge has seen him. A life-and-death struggle ensues. In his job as a police officer, Christian Steiner often has contact with people from immigrant backgrounds. Some years ago his wife left him, taking their child with her. Since then Steiner has been living with his father and cares for him as best he can. Steiner finds it very difficult to trust other people, especially women."
I am a die hard lover of 'women in power' films. I think that's one of the reasons I love horror so much. For far too long, women were the cowering and fragile victims in the corner. Somewhere around 'Halloween' (1978) everything changed. Ever since then and maybe even before then, “The Final Girl” concept was born. The last one standing and usually the one who vanquishes the bad guy, before the credits roll. I love stories where the odds are stacked against our protagonists and yet they come out on top. Sometimes it's only one, sometimes it's many. In 'Cold Hell', we see a woman who's already been broken, but she's been fighting literally and figuratively to regain the strength she lost. Perhaps she never did, but she needed to prove to herself that she was still inside somewhere. Suddenly, she's put in a position where she's backed into a corner by accident when she witnesses the aftermath of what one man does to a woman. When he realizes he's being watched, she becomes his next target. She seeks help from a very doubtful and apathetic police force, her family, friends and even her former lover. Ultimately, she's on her own. It takes everything she's fought so hard for, to provide her the strength to meet this head on. It's a story we can all relate to in some way. Maybe not in any direct correlation to our own lives, but as a metaphor for the struggles we all have to overcome. It's a tale of facing your demons and overcoming them at all costs.
This film is filled with well rounded characters that seem to each have their own capability to be the main character. I don't know if they all had predetermined backstories, that we only get glimpses of, but it feels as though there's a much deeper well that they're all drawing from throughout the film. It's beautifully shot, using a very rich color palette that makes it incredibly enjoyable visually. The story is very engaging and the primary antagonist, is portrayed like a shark. Singular in his purpose, but still blending in with all the other fish around him. That leaves us with Özge (played by the electric Violetta Schurawlow). She's a cab driver by night, a overly caring friend by day and a cold hearted stranger to those who she feels aren't worthy of more from her. She's strong, independent and willing to do whatever it takes to protect those that she loves. I'm trying not to give away too much about this film, as it's something I recommend highly, for lovers of the genre, to see. It has a little bit of something for all of us. It may not have the sheer scope of 'I Saw the Devil'. As a matter of fact, it's a very simple story and it doesn't need to be more than that. It almost hearkens back to the old 70's revenge films. Where you have a character that is content on living their life one way, but then something horrific happens that throws them into a chaotic frenzy of blood lust. It actually takes our heroine a while to decide that what she has to do is stop looking for others to protect her and take the law into her own hands. But you can hear and audible click, when the wheels stop turning in one direction and she makes a hard left turn into Charles Bronson territory. This film easily deserves a 4 out of 5 star rating. The director, Stefan Ruzowitzky, took something old and made it new again and I'm thankful for that. There's something very satisfying about living out that fantasy of taking back what's been taken from you. I have very few misgivings about this film. It engages you within the first few minutes and doesn't let you go until the credits roll. How many films can you say that about these days?
'Die Hölle aka Cold Hell' lands exclusively on Shudder starting March 15th!
If you like this, check out: 'Thriller: A Cruel Picture aka They Call Her One Eye' (1973), 'The Brave One' (2007) and 'Baise Moi' (2000)
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