Hold the Dark

It’s not the kind of film you watch waiting for “the answer.” Saulnier isn’t going to solve the equation for you in Hold The Dark. But he is going to kick your ass.

An extraordinary high-pulp potboiler, one that mixes elements of indigenous mysticism, Greek tragedy and rural revenge flicks, along with a genuinely showstopping centerpiece.

Its determined ambition and atmospheric skill keeps Saulnier firmly in the category of directors to watch.

It’s a brutal slog of a film, admirable in its fearlessness in terms of dark subject matter, but the brutality doesn’t feel worth it in the end.

While the shifts in genre, plot and location do prove intriguing for much of the film, they ultimately result in a feeling of mild dissatisfaction, the whole never quite the sum of its parts.

Wright is one of the great character actors working these days, and losing track of him and his character hurts the film.

Getting the chance to be an exceedingly dull stab at Elevated Horror, Elevated Thriller, and Elevated Action all in one fell swoop, Jeremy Saulnier’s Hold the Dark is nothing but a staggering failure in both the realm of art and entertainment.

An incredibly subtle, dark, brooding, violent film that had me thinking about it for hours and days afterwards. Sure, my first reaction at the end of this film was "What the hell did I just watch?" but instead of stopping there and dismissing the movie as "dumb", "confusing" or "boring", I then set about answering that question for myself. Lurking just below the surface there is SO much to unpack thematically. Not every movie has to be 100% on the nose, hold-your-hand, obvious plot wrapped in a neat little bow. If this isn't your cup of tea, fine, but that doesn't make this a bad movie! I recommend watching this in the dark with the volume up, some of the dialogue is very soft and I found having the subtitles on helped quite a bit, if that doesn't bother you. I want to watch it again to see what I missed, and I also want to read the book. Any movie that makes me feel that way, and has me thinking about it long after it's over, is a success in my opinion!

Slow burn, but its got an original yet familiar flavor. Wind River rings a bell as does the most recent True Detective (which ****). There's a dreamy quality throughout the film. Every character seems to be plodding to a kown ending they see but can't escape. The plot is a bit thin, though and I would've liked a little more detail on the whys.

Ένα αλλόκοτο, σκοτεινό, δραματικό και έντονα ατμοσφαιρικό ταξίδι. Το «Hold the Dark» είναι σίγουρα κάτι παραπάνω από ένα απλό και συνηθισμένο φιλμ τρόμου...

This movie is a huge miss, there is barely any plot to talk about, acting is quite boring and the plot twists makes no sense. Good photography and some really good action sequences, but they are not enough to save this pretentious mess.

Simply, not a good movie. This began as an interesting thriller set against a breathtakingly dreary Alaska backdrop. It quickly morphed into a violent nonsensical wandering mess. Distant, dull and dreary characters mirrored the greyness of the Last Frontier. Ultimately, they managed a collective fade into the oblivion of a deeply boring and profoundly frustrating farcical tale.