COLD IN JULY displayed one of the best recent examples of the late Sam Shepard’s talent

Some three years after its initial release, Jim Mickle’s extraordinary adaptation of Joe R. Lansdale’s COLD IN JULY still garners attention.

For SLASHFILM, Chris Evangelista in his regular “Now Stream This” column, ranks the movie as the number one streaming option for August.

1. COLD IN JULY
Now Streaming on Netflix

Actor and playwright Sam Shepard died earlier this week. Shepard’s death is a great loss to film and theatre, but at least he leaves behind a wealth of work to cherish. There’s plenty to pick from to highlight Shepard’s talent, but one of the best recent examples is Jim Mickle’s 2014 thriller COLD IN JULY. Adapted from a story by Joe R. Lansdale and throwing off some serious John Carpenter vibes, COLD IN JULY features Michael C. Hall as a man who kills a home intruder, only to be drawn into a much bigger and far more sinister plot with the dead intruder’s father, played masterfully by Shepard. Don Johnson also shows up, and nearly steals the whole film, but this is a perfect showcase for Shepard’s talents.

William Bibbiani at CRAVE includes the thriller among 10 Unforgettable Movies From The Late, Great Sam Shepard (1943-2017).

Michael C. Hall kills a thief, and the thief’s father – played by Sam Shepard – is looking for revenge in this acclaimed but little seen crime thriller from director Jim Mickle, adapted from a novel by Joe R. Lansdale  

At the Italian site FILM.IT, Marco Triolo mentions COLD IN JULY among Ten non-horror films directed by thrill masters.

From “Cold to July” by Joe R. Lansdale, Jim Mickle , a well-known director for low budget author horror, pulled out a small big noir , a reflection on the concept of justice and manhood. Great cast, led by Don Johnson, Michael C. Hall and Sam Shepard.

Translation from Italian, courtesy of Google

For more info on COLD IN JULY, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story