Well this is not going to be a nerve racking movie.
Director Mabrouk el Mechri brings us The Cold Light of Day, which gives us another glimpse at the Superman to be Henry Cavill. The story follows failing businessman Will Shaw (Cavill) who while he’s on vacation with his family is forced to try and rescue his family who have been kidnapped over the mysterious contents of a briefcase his father (Bruce Willis) stole.
The writers did a decent job at filling in the majority of the plot holes but not necessarily answering all the pending questions. It’s well written in sense of structure however The Cold Light of Day is simply dull. The dialogue is choppy and little insight is given into character relationships that force the audience to create their own back-story.
There is a severe lack of character development throughout the entire film which gives the audience little to care about. It’s a real shame as The Cold Light of Day is headed by a pretty decent cast that stars Henry Cavill as Will Shaw. Cavill must think he’s Superman already as his character takes a beating surely no man could endure. His character is blunt, cold hearted but at times intelligent. It’s a pretty bland performance that gives us little insight into his acting ability apart from displaying him as a decent action hero. Bruce Willis does his normal routine as Martin, Cavill’s father so as ever he gives a mediocre performance. Sigourney Weaver plays Carrick who gives by far the best performance; its obvious Weaver enjoyed her part. Verónica Echegui also stars as Lucia who while not necessarily well rounded is an enjoyable onscreen presence. The most interesting characters are by far the ones given the least on screen time such as club owner Maximo (Oscar Jaenada) and bad guy Zahir (Roschdy Zem).
‘Don’t be expecting too many surprises.’
It’s slightly unclear what cinematographer Remi Adefarisn was hired for as the lighting throughout numerous scenes is horrendous. In one particular scene it’s incredibly hard to make out what’s going on, if that’s a stylisation choice then it’s certainly a poor one. Adefarisn is obviously a very big fan of the shaky cam, most notably used during the fight sequences to hide any poorly executed moves. However in various occasions the camera shakes away from a brawl so we can appreciate what appeared to be a tree (it’s hard to tell with such terrible lighting). The editing is also shockingly executed with atrocious continuity and a poor attempt at turning day scenes into night.
It isn’t all bad though as the film does feature one or two nifty looking shots that really show some technical capability on behalf of the editor and cinematographer. Meanwhile a nifty surgery with nothing more than a handful of vodka and a hot spoon along with an intense car chase make for an excitable watch during those specific scenes.
All in all it’s what you’d expect from a film like this. It’s similar to every other one like it with a slightly different premise. Regrettably they always go the same way so don’t be expecting too many surprises. It’s an easy watch that you’ll forget about pretty quickly. If you really want to see Cavill at work then pick up a copy of the sword and sandals epic Immortals, he gives a far better performance and for the ladies he’ll have his shirt off far more often.
Popcorn & Soda Rating: 2/5
After watching The Cold Light of Day do you think Cavill will make a good Superman?
