Hold the Dark

Starring: Jeffrey Wright, Alexander Skarsgard, Riley Keough, James Badge Dale, Tantoo Cardinal, Peter McRobbie, Julian Black Antelope
Directed by: Jeremy Saulnier
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Thriller
2018

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A man (Jeffrey Wright) is hired by a grieving mother (Riley Keough) to track down the wolf that killed her son. When he arrives in the isolated Alaskan town, he discovers it will be a much tougher assignment than he anticipated.

Review:

Tim: I actually read William Giraldi's book in 2014 after seeing him speak at the Boston Book Festival. I enjoyed his book- it was atmospheric and well-written. I didn't see the movie until 2020 (when the pandemic gave me more time at home). I enjoyed this movie- it's a faithful adaptation that brings Giraldi's story to life. Critics seemed to enjoy it more than the "common folk", and this is one where they got it right. This is a slow boil film, but Jeremy Saulnier's film is worth checking out on Netflix.

I imagine some viewers were turned off by the quiet, slow-moving plot. This was absolutely critical to the story, though. The character of Russell Core finds himself in the Alaskan wilderness, with only small settlements bringing in any kind of civilization. It feels like a different world there, people move at a different pace. This all comes to visual life in Saulnier's film. The movie is dark, focused on each moment, verses looking ahead. The movie captures the atmosphere from Giraldi's book perfectly. That's so important to the movie and it's a success.

I loved the cast. Jeffrey Wright is such an underrated actor and I enjoyed him in this role. He makes an excellent Russell Core. He projects the intelligence the character has, while revealing glimpses of a darker underside to his character. I thought his character was incredibly effective and I thoroughly enjoyed his performance. Riley Keough was good, too. The role of the grieving mother isn't as large as I wish it was, but she's effective with every second of her screen time. It's an odd, disorienting performance, as it needed to be. I like James Badge Dale more and more as I see him. He is such a talented actor, I've just enjoyed his performances more and more as his career develops. He works so well here- he's sympathetic as he represents the more civilized world. You care about him more and more as the film progresses. I really enjoyed Alexander Skarsgard, too. He's not someone you initially think of as a great actor, but he gives a worthwhile performance here. He adds a nice dark chill to the movie. I also have to give credit to Tantoo Cardinal and Julian Black Antelope- both were quite memorable in small supporting roles. It was fun seeing Peter McRobbie here as well. As a whole, they assembled an impressive cast for this film.

The story is a memorable one. It starts out in one direction and takes some nice, unexpected turns. The movie does a good job of displaying those. One way the movie was more effective than the book was the shootout scene. I don't remember if this happened in the book, but it's an absolute highlight in the movie. It's so well shot and remarkably intense. It feels like it goes on for a considerable amount of time- you feel a bit of the weariness of the characters caught in the crosshairs. It was excellent.

As a whole, perhaps Hold the Dark isn't for everyone. However, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a strong adaptation and a really good movie by its own merit. It's different, unexpected, for sure. It's a trip that is worth taking and one that will linger in your mind.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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