Dead of Winter

My nephew spontaneously joined me to see the action thriller Dead of Winter last night and we both really liked it (I liked it even more than I thought I would).  Barb Lindquist (Emma Thompson) is a recently widowed woman who runs a bait and tackle shop in northern Minnesota.  She embarks on a solo ice fishing trip to Lake Hilda, where she had her first date with her husband Karl, but gets lost in a blizzard and must ask for directions from a man (Marc Menchaca) at an isolated and dilapidated cabin.  She suspects that something is amiss at the cabin but continues on to the lake and reminisces about past fishing trips with her husband (Thompson's daughter Gaia Wise plays a young Barb and Cuan Hosty-Blaney plays a young Karl in flashbacks).  Her reverie is interrupted when she sees the man from the cabin restraining a young girl (Laurel Marsden) at gunpoint.  She follows them back to the cabin and, when she learns that the man and his wife (Judy Greer) plan to kill the girl (for reasons), she realizes that she is her only hope for rescue.  It was interesting to see Thompson in a role unlike anything she has done before (and initially a bit jarring to hear her speak with a Minnesota accent even though she pulls it off) and I was very impressed with her physical performance, especially during the final confrontation with Greer (also playing against type) on the frozen lake, as well as with the emotional depth she imbues the character without a lot of dialogue.  The action sequences are very compelling because Barb, as an older woman, is forced to use her ingenuity and both the stark winter landscape and the strings-heavy score add to the tension.  I am a fan of movies featuring an ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances and this is a really good one.  It is a bit under the radar (we found only one theater showing it in our area) but it is worth seeking out.