Running Time: 92 Minutes
Certification: 15
Starring: Raúl Castillo, Melonie Diaz, Tony Cavalero, Josh Brener
A curious sight opens Cold Wallet, as on-screen text reads that this film is presented by Steven Soderbergh. The Ocean's Trilogy director has crafted an interesting career championing independent cinema while utilizing inventive ideas, so it makes sense that he would pay it forward by propping up other creators' independent films. This one is the second feature from director Cutter Hodierne, releasing a decade after his feature-length debut, Fishing Without Nets.
Based on a slightly true story, this feature opens on the Christmas period as Billy (Raúl Castillo) spreads the word about Tulip, a cryptocurrency which he discovered on Reddit. Seeing this as hope for the future, he makes lavish promises to his daughter about getting a new home, but those promises are shattered when Tulip crashes and burns following the death of its CEO. As a result, Billy loses everything.
In the aftermath, he is contacted by fellow redditor Eva (Melonie Diaz), who discovered that Tulip CEO Charles Hegel (Josh Brener) faked his death and plans to flee on a private jet. As the pair are joined by Dom (Tony Cavalero), Billy's MMA instructor friend who also invested in Tulip, this ragtag trio arrive at Charles Hegel's address to kidnap him, intending to return the money to everyone that he scammed.
No matter how much time has marches on, the wealthy increasing their balance by taking from those less fortunate remains a relevant idea. The screenplay by John Hibey intertwines that with a modern rage against crypto-bros, for a tale of Robin Hood style vigilantes looking to rob from the rich to give back to the poor.
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Central to this story is Billy, a divorced father looking for a break as he tries making a better life for him and his daughter. He saw the idea of cryptocurrency as a ray of hope, but it soon ended up as a nightmare that left him ripped off and resorting to desperate measures. As he grows more angry at the situation, it is up to Dom to try and ground him, while Eva worries about their plan being jeopardised by them sticking around for too long.
As the CEO is faced with these consequences for the wrongs that he committed, he remains undeterred by the reality of how his scam affected those less fortunate than him. Whether the methods involve verbal skullduggery or physical aggressions, he is focused upon finding a way out with the stolen money. It is all part of this decently performed work, blending a contemporary heist thriller with comedic elements.
This makes it disappointing how the work is undone by a muddled execution. There are moments where the tables turn and matters spiral out of control, which should be the point where matters grow tense, yet that feeling sadly does not arrive. It all instead feels rather sedate, lacking the urgency and necessary bite that would ensure this tale resonates in stronger ways. As it is, Cold Wallet left me feeling rather cold.
Cold Wallet is now available on Digital Platforms
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