The Cold Light of Day Movie Review

Bruce Willis and Henry Cavill (r) star in The Cold Light of Day

From our friends at DC Film Review...

Left Out in the Cold

Suddenly former A-listers Bruce Willis and Sigourney Weaver play second fiddle to the future Superman (Henry Cavill) in Mabrouk El Mechri’s pedestrian thriller The Cold Light of Day, a film not screened for press... and with good reason.

IMDb Plot: After his family is kidnapped during their sailing trip in Spain, a young Wall Street trader is confronted by the people responsible: intelligence agents looking to recover a mysterious briefcase.

Director: Mabrouk El Mechri (JCVD)

What's Best: It's not easy heaping praise on one of the year’s most disappointing films; but Weaver delivers a solid performance as a villainous CIA agent. Willis is equally impressive (in a limited role) but disappears before the movie has a chance to get its sea legs. Seriously, who takes Bruce Willis out of a movie? Duh.

P.S. Madrid looks nice.

What's Worst: I really enjoyed Cavill in Showtime’s The Tudors, but I have to question the readiness of the Man of Steel star to carry a film by himself. Light of Day marks the second starring role (after Immortals) where Cavill has left this reviewer wanting. As 20-something Will Shaw, Cavill spends a disproportionate amount of time appearing insecure while screaming his lines with forced intensity. I’m sure he’ll do fine as Superman, but I doubt he’ll use anything he learned on this set.

Worst Line: There's a scene where Will (Cavill) lowers a terrified Lucia (Verónica Echegui) down the side of a building via a cable line tied around her waist. With bullets flying, all you can hear is Lucia screaming, ‘Will, don't drop me! Por favor.’

Overall: The Cold Light of Day is so by-the-numbers that I’m shocked it’s getting any kind of theatrical run. You can see every twist and turn coming a mile away, including the big surprise that effectively seals the film's fate. Pairing Cavill with Echegui is a disaster of epic proportions, low-lighted by a hysterical scooter accident during one of their many escapes. Next time, I’d suggest standing back and letting Willis and Weaver do what they do best. The alternative isn’t all that attractive (yet alone interesting.)

Grade: D-