Written by George Heftler
Jeremy Saulnier’s third film Hold the Dark clearly takes a lot of inspiration from the Alaskan wilderness it’s set in. It moves slowly but relentlessly, stalking the climax like one of the movies’ several wolves. It’s cold, with violence presented flatly. And most of all, it’s beautiful.
Jeffrey Wright plays Russell Core, a writer and wolf expert who is called to Alaska by a grieving mother whose son was taken by a wolf. But with not everything as it seems and the boy’s father on his way back from serving in Afghanistan, the small Alaskan town is about to erupt into chaos.
The Alaskan landscape is on full display in Hold the Dark, with grand mountains, icy tundras, and stark forests all making an appearance and looking stunning. The score is also sparse but effective, lending even more tension to a movie already permeated with it. But most impressive are the performances.
As mentioned, Jeffrey Wright is our protagonist and does a great job as the fish-out-of-water who is unaccustomed to the nature and customs of this region and simply trying to deal with the situation he is thrust into. Riley Keough is Medora Sloane, the mother whose missing son kicks the movie off, and she is also wonderful. As she mentions in the movie, the Alaskan cold gets inside you, and she does a great job communicating this with a brusque and chilly manner. But the true star of this movie Alexander Skarsgard as Vernon Slone, the ex-soldier on his way home.
Skarsgard is absolutely petrifying in this movie. His piercing blue eyes stand out amidst the ice and snow and his reserved manner means you are never sure exactly what he’s thinking. He is out for revenge, and woe to anyone who stands in his way. He doesn’t speak much but seemingly embodies a wolf himself—vicious, impressive, and incredible to watch in action.
As far as the pacing, I’ve seen a lot of people saying this is 80 minutes of movie stretched to two hours, and that it’s simply too slow. I disagree with both of these assertions. Not only did Jeremy Saulnier’s previous works Blue Ruin and Green Room (both excellent in their own right) also move slowly, this slow pace helps this movie instead of hindering it. It works with the methodical nature of the characters, as well as to let the nature of the situation truly sink in. Rather than relying on cheap thrills, all three of these films let the tension slowly ratchet up until you notice that you’re on the edge of your seat. Saulnier simply has a style that isn’t for everyone. And that’s fine.
Is it my favorite of his movies? No, that would be Green Room. Are there small things I might change? Sure. For instance, as good as Conor Boru was as the police corporal, that role was tailor made for Liev Schreiber. I’d also would’ve loved to have gotten some more screen time from Macon Blair. But at the end of the day, this is a striking, affecting movie made by an incredible writer/director team and this level of commitment to quality keeps me excited to see what they put out next.
Final Score: 8/10
Hold the Dark is currently streaming on Netflix.
-George Heftler
