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Cast: Joel Kinnaman, Tom Holland, Percy White, Rachelle Lefevre, Shiloh Fernandez
Recently divorced and laid off from his job, Elliot Baker (Joel Kinnaman, Suicide Squad; Run All Night) is desperate to spend more time bonding with his sons, Bradley (Tom Holland, Captain America: Civil War) and Caleb (Percy Hynes White, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb). What starts as family day trip to teach his boys how to shoot turns into a nightmare when they become stranded. As they retreat to a desolate cabin, Elliot’s mounting fear of losing custody pushes him to the edge. The brothers quickly realize that the man responsible for keeping them safe has now become their biggest threat.
"Edge of Winter" tells the story of Elliot Baker. Elliot isn't having a whole lot of luck lately. Not only is he recently divorced but he also lost his job as well. When his Ex drops off his two young sons, Bradley and Caleb he looks at it as a chance to spend some time with his boys and bond a little but things go south very quickly.
After deciding to take the boys out in the middle of nowhere in snow and freezing temperatures to learn how to shoot everything begins to fall apart. His older son seems to show some resentment to his father while the younger boy is more tolerant of him. After arriving at their destination and shooting for a bit Elliot, a little drunk decides to let his older boy drive back but shortly afterwards they have an accident and get the vehicle stuck in the snow. Stranded in the middle of nowhere and freezing cold out they stick it out the first night in the vehicle and in the morning they head out looking for a cabin Elliot remembers seeing. After walking in the snow they stumble upon the cabin but instead of things getting a little better they get a lot worse. Elliot seems to feel threatened by a few other hunters who want to use the cabin as well but he is also starting to loss all sense of reality and is paranoid that his Ex will take the boys away and he will never see them again. So the two boys find themselves basically alone because instead of counting on their dad to get them out of the mess they are in they instead must find a way out because Elliot has crossed the line of insanity and believes in his head that they must stay in the cabin in the middle of nowhere in order to protect them from being taken away.
"Edge of Winter" is a straight forward psychological thriller that doesn't offer anything new. The film doesn't really offer any real surprises along the way either but it some how manages to stay about average for a few reasons. One reason is the cast, Joel Kinnaman gives a very good performance as Elliot, a man on the edge of insanity. Tom Holland and Percy Hynes White were also excellent as his two sons. They cast did a great job keeping things interesting and they all had great chemistry together.
Another thing that helped the film was the location in the middle of nowhere with everything covered in snow. It really helped in creating the perfect atmosphere and creating a sense of isolation and dread. If anything let the film down any, it was the script, while the film does generate some suspense and tension it could have done a lot more in both departments. Plus I thought the characters could have been developed a little bit more.
"Edge of Winter" is not a bad film but it could have been so much better. I never really made it to the edge of my seat before it was over. The ending is one that I liked and felt it was probably the best way to end the story but others might find it a bit rushed. I recommend seeing the film if you like this kind of psychological drama but I also recommend a rental first to see if you like it enough to buy it. Available on September 27th on DVD, you can order it HERE.
Released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
** 3/4 Out Of *****