With this thriller we're in Fargo territory as Emma Thompson nails the Minnesota accent. She plays Barb, a kindly woman freshly widowed who heads out to a remote lake to scatter her husband ashes at the fishing site where they had their first date. But losing her way she stops at a remote cabin and disturbs a bizarre couple who have kidnapped a young girl. Without a phone signal and limited resources Barb decides she has to help the girl. This leads to a series of events as the nasty pair played by Judy Greer and Marc Menchaca try to deal with Barb as well as carry out their macabre plan involving the girl. It's an entertaining thriller with a first class lead performance from Thompson and whilst there are some plot holes this is a film that rattles along at a strong pace, has an alarming and twisted plot and a distinct chilly atmosphere. It's outrageously good fun.
Expected a frosty grief piece; got Emma Thompson in Fargo country, treating a scoped gun like standard kit. She’s heading to a Minnesota lake to scatter her husband’s ashes, takes a wrong turn, and finds blood on snow, a captive teenager, and a couple who make the air feel thinner. Judy Greer is gloriously vicious, Marc Menchaca pure menace, and Thompson’s decency turns the choice—drive on or intervene—into suspense. Cold enough to sting your teeth.
This is an engrossing and scenic thriller set in the wintry wilderness of Finland (standing in for Minnesota). It’s Ice Road Truckers country. No muscle-bound superheroes here, just a namneless sixty-something fisherwoman (Emma Thomson) caught up in a kidnapping plot. Sounds flat, but the tense plot never lets up and the beautifully-photographed scenery lifts it to a whole new level. As a bonus, it even packs an unexpected emotional punch.