Dear Watchers,Yes, that’s Emma Thompson. But in a snowy thriller, one of two intriguing picks on this Genre Movie Wednesday, she displays the kind of sense and sensibility that defends her from ruthless kidnappers. If you’re hoping for the kind of romance a Thompson picture more frequently offers, you might look to the other selection from our action movie expert Robert Daniels: an assassin movie with a little passion in the mix. Read what Robert has to say about each movie below, then head here for three more of his selections. Happy watching. ‘Dead of Winter’
Where to watch: Stream “Dead of Winter” on HBO Max. Action movies are rarely led by older women, but Emma Thompson’s heartening presence is a gift in Brian Kirk’s icy film “Dead of Winter.” She plays Barb, a widow who ventures to a frozen lake in northern Minnesota to scatter her husband’s ashes. While there, she encounters Leah (Laurel Marsden), a girl in need of rescue from a woman known as Purple Lady (Judy Greer) and her husband, Camo Jacket (Marc Menchaca). (Barb never learns their names.) This is a Liam Neeson-coded survivalist work that places Barb’s ingenuity — she uses fishing line to stitch a wound — in sharp contrast with the idiocy of the outsiders who try to help her. Thompson shines as the sanguine hero with a melodic Minnesota accent, and Greer is as unhinged as they come. Together, they animate this winter showdown with an intense cat-and-mouse dynamic. ‘My Dearest Assassin’
Where to watch: Stream “My Dearest Assassin” on Netflix. Taweewat Wantha’s “My Dearest Assassin” follows Lhan (Pimchanok Luevisadpaibul), a girl rescued by Poh (Chartayodom Hiranyasthiti) from bounty hunters led by Pruek (Toni Rakkaen). Lhan’s blood is of a rare, extremely valuable type, and it is coveted by a wealthy man. Lhan and Poh, who runs an underground assassin ring, form a family that includes Poh’s son Pran (Thanapob Leeratanakachorn) and his friend M (Sivakorn Adulsuttikul), who both have a crush on Lhan. Two exceptional set pieces are highlights. The first has Pruek and the flamboyant killer Chaba (Chanudom Suksatit) raiding Poh’s hide-out, the camera whipping between assassins as they slide and spin. The second happens toward the end at an abandoned warehouse, whose multilevel courtyard becomes a natural shooting gallery. With electric sequences like these and the charged teenage courtship, “My Dearest Assassin” is a romantically angsty blood bath.
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