Cold Creek Manor
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Banal thriller in which a psychotic ex-con (Stephen Dorff) sets out to reclaim the house he lost while in jail from its new owners (Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone) by insinuating himself into their lives. Director Mike Figgis telegraphs plot points in advance while mostly routine performances and flat dialogue further confine the film to B-movie status. A brief sexual encounter, sporadic violence, female topless photos, instances of substance abuse, minimal profanity and recurring rough language. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-IV -- adults, with reservations. (R) 2003
Full Review
Drop some name stars in the atmospheric setting of a crumbling mansion with a pesky former owner on the premises and you get the ho-hum thriller "Cold Creek Manor" (Touchstone).
Hectic Manhattan life drives documentary filmmaker Cooper Tilson (Dennis Quaid) and his working wife, Leah (Sharon Stone), to buy a foreclosed country manor upstate where they hope life will be better for their teen daughter, Kristen (Kristen Stewart), and younger son, Jesse (Ryan Wilson).
Badly in need of renovation, the huge house is filled with disturbing photos of the former occupants and custom-made weapons used to kill sheep dating back to the manor's farming days.
Up shows gritty Dale (Stephen Dorff), fresh out of jail, who lost the house to foreclosure while he was in stir but is now eager to help renovate since he grew up there and claims he knows every nook and cranny better than anyone.
Conveniently -- if quite foolishly -- the Tilsons hire him. Dale says his wife and two kids up and left him, leaving no forwarding address. Cooper finds inspiration in the left-behind photos, bizarre poems and murderous artifacts on the premises and decides to make a documentary on the history of Cold Creek Manor. Bad idea, Cooper; Dale has a lot to hide -- and he'll be after your hide if you don't get out of town pronto.
Thoroughly lackluster dialogue hampers Richard Jeffries' script, making it hard for Quaid and Stone to pump much life or chemistry into their roles. Dorff fares a little better with his bare-chested, coiled and oiled body conveying menace and mayhem to come. And Juliette Lewis is proficient playing to type: Dale's slutty, bad-boy-lovin' girlfriend.
However, Mike Figgis' direction telegraphs every plot development and, with virtually no surprises, a bland thriller results. An over-the-top violent ending is just one more predictable flourish for this failed horror show with little more than competent cinematography to recommend it.
Due to a brief, barely visible sexual encounter, sporadic violence, female topless photos, instances of substance abuse, minimal profanity and recurring rough language, the USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-IV -- adults, with reservations. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted
Movies have been evaluated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishop's Office for Film and Broadcasting according to artistic
merit and moral suitability. The reviews include the USCCB rating,
the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief
synopsis of the movie.
The classifications are as follows:
- A-I -- general patronage;
- A-II -- adults and adolescents;
- A-III -- adults;
- A-IV**
- L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
- O -- morally offensive.
** Discontinued classification. All archived movies that were originally in the A-IV category are now classified as L.