Cold Blooded

Crime drama in Calgary

A dozen youths are dead or missing in a metropolis in western Canada and the police force is pressured to solve it. A newspaper reporter (Tony Nardi) and a detective (John Kapelos) want the truth, but the investigation is muddled by the chief inspector’s dubious relationship with a “snitch” (Kenneth Welsh and Brian Markinson). Michael Moriarty plays the city prosecutor and Gloria Reuben a defense lawyer. Patti LuPone is on hand as the formidable District Attorney.

“Cold Blooded” (2000) is a crime drama that debuted on Canadian television as “Bad Faith” and went straight-to-video in other countries. It’s based on Ian Adams' 1983 book “Bad Faith,” which was inspired by Canada's most infamous serial killer, Clifford Olson, whose murders were committed in the suburbs of Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1980-81. Adams also wrote the script for this movie.

Don’t expect a lot of action. This is a talky drama that focuses on the dynamics of a big city investigation and the political complexities thereof. The realistic, noir-ish scenario is interesting enough, but some elements of the story are confusing and something happens at the end that is so contrived and predictable it’s eye-rolling. But, then again, it IS a movie.

While it debuted on TV in Canada, “Cold Blooded” is a hard R-rated picture with quite a bit of female nudity (just a heads-up). It’s reminiscent of “Midnight Cop” (1988), albeit with superior editing.

The film runs 1 hour, 37 minutes, and was shot in Calgary, Alberta.

GRADE: B-