In Cold Light Review: Maika vs the World

Maxime Giroux’s In Cold Light is a surprisingly compelling thriller that trades mindless violence for affecting drama and good performances.

The final product ends up being much more complex than what I initially expected, and deserving of something better thought-out than its generic title or its even more generic poster.

Maika Monroe (Longlegs) plays Ava, who, at the beginning of the movie, is released from jail. She immediately meets up with her father, Will (Oscar-winner Troy Kotsur, of CODA fame), a less-than-successful rodeo ex-champion, and her brother, Tom (Jesse Irving), who immediately re-takes her to the “dark side”. It turns out, Ava wants to return to the drug-selling business and requires her brother’s help. But when a key character is suddenly and violently killed, and she’s framed for the crime, all she can do is escape. Not only from the police, but also from a crime boss called Claire (Helen Hunt) and her goons.

Narratively speaking, In Cold Light isn’t a particularly complex picture. What we have here is a traditional tale of survival and revenge, in which Ava has to find a way to go back to her old life, make peace with her dad, and overcome the traumas of her past, most of which are related to her mother’s untimely death. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, but it’s nevertheless well-executed by director Maxime Giroux, who manages to craft a stylish and self-serious experience. 

It definitely helps that Patrick Whistler’s screenplay never loses sight of Ava as its protagonist, developing her as a silent yet well-rounded woman. She’s the kind of character who expresses herself more through actions than through words, except for when she talks with her dad. In fact, In Cold Light includes a particularly compelling and emotional scene between her and Will in which they communicate exclusively through sign language, with her telling him everything she should have told him years before. It’s powerful stuff, and feels unlike anything we’ve seen in other thrillers of this ilk.

Predictably, Maika Monroe gives a standout performance as Ava, playing her as a mysterious figure who gradually opens up as the story moves forward. She’s all about being subtle, making it clear through actions and glances that she’s always had a potent connection with her brother, and a rather troubled relationship with her father. In Cold Light is so focused on her and her inner conflicts, in fact, that it doesn’t really manage to develop its secondary characters. The antagonists, in particular, feel underdeveloped, with Claire only appearing during the last few minutes of the story, and the others come across as more like personality-deprived obstacles than actual human beings.

Visually, In Cold Light is pretty striking. Shot on film, it makes good use of texture and grain and real locations to create a palpable sense of place, and an atmosphere of darkness, dustiness and roughness all around. And although it could’ve used a couple fewer flashbacks, the film nevertheless manages to craft a coherent experience out of a narrative that interweaves past with present, giving the viewer the sense that Ava’s trauma directly affects her decisions as an adult. The rest of the characters might feel two-dimensional, but it’s all somewhat compensated for by the realistic characterisation of Ava.

In Cold Light surprised me. What initially looked like a run-of-the-mill indie actioner, like many that get released year after year, ended up being a rather contemplative and serious thriller, which replaces action sequences and explosions with interesting explorations of grief and solid character work. Moreover, the movie looks good and takes great advantage of Maika Monroe’s talents. Don’t be fooled by the lame poster, which features Monroe’s Ava holding a gun and staring at the horizon, Liam Neeson-style; In Cold Light is a disturbing and well-crafted little thriller.

In Cold Light will be released in US theatres on January 23, 2026.