Cold Harbour (2014)

Overrated and overhyped

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

It is such a charge when you begin watching a movie with no expectations, save that it is hopefully half-decent, and then it winds up pretty much kicking your ass. Well, I am just tickled periwinkle to report that such is the case with the 2013 South African crime thriller "Cold Harbour".Writer and Director Carey McKenzie has made the absolute most out of a minimal budget, on location shooting entirely in Cape Town and a cast so unfamiliar (to American audiences, at any rate) that they don't even register as "no name". And so what? McKenzie takes an involving story about ALBACORE SEAFOOD SMUGGLING of all things for crissakes, a handful of genuinely admirable performances (Tony Kgoroge as the lead is a riveting revelation here) and some slick rapid-fire editing, mixes them all together, and serves us a consistently engaging entertainment feast from start to finish.And speaking of that finish, you'd best not anticipate being provided the proverbial bow with which to wrap things up all nice, neat and tidy like, that's for damn sure. In fact, the takeaway message we are left to ponder may best be encapsulated thusly, "We're gonna leave it up to you, kind viewer, to provide the answer to this enduring question.........'What price justice?'"

The poster has 3 guys standing over a body in the pouring rain. It didn't rain once in the film. And yet Cape Town's extreme weather could really have added to the film - as an oppressive layer like the occasional mist rolling over the mountains tried to hint at.Some of the set up shots were better than the general scenes they were meant to intro. But too self-conscious at the same time.The main character looked permanently sweaty - odd for "cold" harbor - while the rest of the cast didn't. But he and the Specialist character stood out with their performances from the rest of the cast.The dialogue felt like someone wrote it in a vacuum, or after being in isolation for twenty years and no idea of how people talk naturally.The one or two action scenes were OK and mildly entertaining- basically no one was using the written dialogue so it was great.The editing (or lack of coverage during shooting) caused things to jump around and there was a lack of flow.The overall plot was worthy of a film but not this script. This had the potential to really showcase SA crime (abalone) worthy of the big screen, and the mafia type groups involved. It is a pity that an opportunity was missed for a top notch SA thriller.