It's safe to say this isn't quite what I expected. The antagonist played by Jonathan Banks has had little time on screen even as the halfway point rolls around, except primarily for the scene of violence that kicks off the plot. Meanwhile, the film carries itself with an oddly light tone, such that there's a lot of humor sprinkled liberally throughout - more than is characteristic for any such thriller. The romantic element is even more contrived than we get from most movies, and not written very well in the first place; the protagonist and his buddy are even more free-wheeling, endangering civilians, than is true of most Hollywood cops, let alone real-life cops. And through all this, plot develops rather slowly, with only scattered beats advancing the story even heading into the last third of the runtime.
I don't think 'Cold steel' is outright bad. The cast, and Dorothy Ann Puzo's direction, are mostly fine. The crew behind the scenes put in good work, stunts and effects not least of all (though one effect employed at T-15 minutes is astoundingly weak). The writing, however, is something else altogether. The characters, dialogue, and scene writing are middling, and kind of unconvincing, and the overall tale suffers as a result. This definitely goes for the plot development, too - slow in the first two-thirds as noted, even in the last act something just feels very "off" about it. And the linchpin of the feature, the background we get early in the last act that ties all the pieces together, is maybe the flimsiest part of all, in every regard. Or is it the climax?
It feels more earnestly like a thriller than some of its brethren can claim, despite the weird levity throughout much of the runtime. Yet it's a thriller in which the writing is strangely hollow and questionable, and from one moment to the next I can't decide which aspect of the screenplay is the most troubled; it looks good on the surface, but meaningful substance is missing. 'Cold steel' is entertaining on some level, but it's the type of entertainment whereby anything will suffice to pass the time, sans active engagement - and as if to emphasize the point, the action-filled climax really should be fun, but instead it sort of Just Is.
Look, I don't hate this. But every time I think the picture is breaking even, cynicism rears its head once more. It's decent enough for a lazy day if you come across it, and perhaps most recommendable for fans of those involved. Don't go out of your way, though, because 'Cold steel' is a thriller that can't quite gel into a complete, satisfying whole.
