The Cold Light of Day (1996)

I love this movie so much

Very well executed

Very disappointing...

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Now I don't claim to be an expert in the field of catching a child killer, but I'm pretty sure that renting a house next to the road where you think he frequents, and then hiring a woman under false pretenses to be your housekeeper so her young daughter can be used to lure him out into the open, is pretty reprehensible behaviour.And yet, we're supposed to SIDE with rogue detective Richard E Grant's character here, in his mad quest to capture the murderer. The policemen who try to stop him and possibly save this child's life are depicted as being in the wrong... And there's your first problem from the off. What kind of sick mind would say that Grant was justified in his illegal activities? Not me... So a story based on this dodgy premise is difficult to watch when you hate the so- called hero's guts.Aside from that 'slight' misstep, the actual portrayal of the killer is laughable. He has this stuffed dog puppet you see, and uses it to tempt his victims out into the open... Where he slits their throats. The way he voices this cuddly pooch though, could only possibly appeal to babies. No kid old enough to walk would go along with this weirdo, who talks like a lobotomised Play School presenter. And yet, all these young girls he slaughters think it's a 'magic dog' he's holding, and follow him like lemmings walking off a cliff. I didn't buy it for a second.His motives are never really explained... All we know about him is he's a doctor, and he holds tea parties with child dummies at his house. A wacko most definitely, but a bit more information about his background would be nice if we're to be convinced he's a psychopath. Anything would be better than the endless scenes of Grant sitting around taking down the registration plates of cars, or his just-a- little-bit forced relationship with love interest Lynsey Baxter, who of course forgives for him for lying and putting her child in mortal danger at the hands of a predator for weeks. As you do.And if all THAT wasn't bad enough, the acting here can be summed up in one word... hamtastic. What do you mean it's not in the dictionary?! Well, one day it will be. And you have this film to thank for putting the inspiration in my head. Well done, The Cold Light Of Day. You might as well be eulogised for SOMETHING... 4/10

First let me say that one thing I LOVED about this film was the use of sound to set the mood - not noise and music but common every day sounds - the clinking of glass, the slamming of a cell door, the creak of a windmill the squeak of a child's swing, tires on pavement on and on -- and in moments when they were magnified -- just brilliant use of the ordinary to create the extraordinary.On the whole, I am usually not too taken with foreign made (outside the USA & Canada) films so went into this with the idea I'll give it a few minutes - it's free on Netflix so nothing ventured nothing gained. Not being familiar with any of the actors my first reaction to Swaziland born Grant was Milquetoast - however, his passion in the role and believability took me quite by surprise - effective as an obsessed investigator looking into the brutal murders of three young girls. When, in a game of political chess, the wrong man is accused and commits suicide, effectively closing the case to further investigation, he leaves the department and personally takes the investigation to surprising lengths. Soliciting the help of a psychologist and his access to computers, he narrows down a locale to ferret out the perpetrator. He meets a homeless young mother (outstanding acting by Lynsey Baxter (The French Lieutenant's Woman))and sets her up as his housekeeper secretly using the daughter (a young Perdita Weeks) as bait.The story effectively plays his obsession with nailing the homicidal pedophile against his growing affection for both the mother and daughter and he does a fine job of drawing you in to the conflicting emotions while leaving you unsympathetic to his using a child as bait for a serial killer. The killer is really rather brilliantly (and sickeningly) portrayed by the late Simon Cadell - Nice character development and surprisingly good insight into how a pedophile sees the world - a struggling mom in a war torn region protecting the innocence of her child, a detective who cannot let go despite the potential for heartbreaking results, a brilliant serial killer, all make for an edge of your seat thriller for the most part. Hauntingly beautiful locales in he Czech Republic. Drags in a few places but well worth a watch.

This was a fairly interesting story but I didn't like the lead actor, Richard Grant, who played "Victor Marek." It's about a British cop ("Marek") trying to trap a sick child killer, and at the same time his mind is on a woman and her kid. He winds up using them as bait to get the killer. In doing so, he lost me. He wasn't a "good guy," himself and certainly not a likable person that we are supposed to root for in the film. Even Richard Grant's looks in here (tell me that wasn't eyeliner on him) were annoying.The best part of the film was the cinematography. This was a nice-looking film on VHS and it's too bad it isn't available on DVD. I wouldn't buy it, but I might rent it to catch the good photography.

well i watched this flick and had a feeling to check out the reviews online here. i wanted to see another film with good old richard e grant. was not disappointed. tis a good film. though a little warped. but the acting from REG is very good. seems like an odd number. reading the credits, seems like made in some european foreign country. perhaps made for tv. made for tv: normally a turn-off but this one is not too bad. but guy from hi-de-hi is not looking evil enough for his role. well, perhaps times have changed since it was made. check it out. depends on ur tastes but i was not disappointed. well-made flick. u want silence of the lambs, go rent it. this is an effort that hits the mark they intended. depends what ur into.