Rent The Dead of Winter (2025)

Solid Crime Thriller - The Dead of Winter review by GI

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.

Fargo Country, No Mercy - The Dead of Winter review by griggs

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.

A ludicrous film - The Dead of Winter review by SB

This film came across as utterly absurd. I will keep this review as brief as possible. The film revolved around 3 woman, whom I will refer to as A, B and C:

Woman A, has a major health problem with her liver.

Woman B, a younger woman has been kidnapped and incarcerated by woman A, who intends to take the healthy liver from her.

Woman C, heard woman B calling out for help from the cellar in which she was held. Woman C breaks in to help her, and is captured by woman A and also incarcerated. Beyond this point, woman C will not be mentioned further as she is essentially irrelevant to the rest of the film.

Let me now get to the absurdity of this story line. In what way will woman A remove the healthy liver from woman B and replace her own dysfunctional liver? Clearly this is utterly impossible! Alternatively, does she propose to drive the bound and gagged woman B to the nearest hospital and ask them to remove the liver from woman B and use this to replace her own liver? Again, utterly absurd.

How else can this film be described as utterly ridiculous, and a grotesque waste of the talent and resources used to make it.