They get back to the house where Dale has torched Leah's car. Why did the husband leave his wife alone in the woods, at night. Accordingly, he turns from friendly and helpful to increasingly volatile and dangerous. Synopsis Leah Tilson (Sharon Stone) gets out of bed on a busy morning in New York City at 4:30am. [9], Todd McCarthy of Variety called the film "a woefully predictable imperiled-yuppie-family-under-siege suspenser that hardly seems worth the attention of its relatively high-profile participants. Rated R Profanity consists of at least 19 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are used. He talks about the rules of the genre, pacing, music, editing, etc. Ruby tells her sister, the sheriff, that she fell (instead of admitting that Dale punched her). Dale says that he hasn't seen his kids since his wife left with them some time ago. Cooper and his family sneak onto and then into the estate before they put an offer on it (meaning they're trespassing). [2] On Metacritic which assigns a weighted mean score the film has a score of 37 out of 100 based on 31 critics, indicating "generally negative reviews". When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Violence We see a rear view of Leah in her small panties as she gets out of bed. He uses some profanity. It holds a 12% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 111 reviews, with an average rating of 3.8/10. Sheriff Annie Ferguson, Ruby's sister, is initially skeptical about Cooper's accusation but later slowly starts to believe he may be correct. At Bay Area theaters.) Were they possibly thinking of doing maybe a revenge sequel? Cooper hears someone in his house, thinks he sees someone approaching on the other side of some hanging plastic, and punches that person (but it turns out to be Leah). We see some small photos of a teenager showing her bare breasts. He uses some profanity. Sharon Stone is a great actress and does well with the part of Leah, but she isnt given much to stand out, and ends up playing a stereotypical role that keeps Stone from excelling. We briefly see Ruby kissing Dale while both lie on a bed, but he then sits up and nothing else happens. It's presumed it was hit by a car, had its head bludgeoned (as happened to Dale's family) or had its throat slit. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from thestaff@tvtropes.org. The implication being that he hit the horse with the car. [3] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "C" on a scale of A+ to F.[4], Stephen Holden of The New York Times observed, "A serious filmmaker like Mike Figgis can be forgiven, I suppose, for slumming, when he's got a cast as stellar as the one that infuses the scream-by-numbers thriller Cold Creek Manor with more psychological credibility than its screenplay merits". Dale's father refers to Dale's mother as a "whore." [Spoiler Warning] We eventually see physical evidence of this crime in the form of decomposed bodies that had been thrown into a deep well called The Devils Throat. We see various poisonous snakes in various places through the house, including in Leah's bed, in construction plastic along the ceiling, under Jesse's bed and under the fridge where Cooper reaches, unaware what's there. He said the film "belongs to the Cape Fear tradition of thrillers in which the mettle of a civilized family man is tested in a life-or-death struggle with crude macho evil". Dale punches Ruby and then punches several people who try to restrain him. Those scenes and several others have varying levels of bloodiness, and may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to some viewers, mostly younger ones and those with low tolerance levels for such material (others will have little or no such reaction to them). Phrases: "Don't f*ck with him," "He'll rip your f*cking head off," "Shut the f*ck up," "Back the f*ck away," "Get the f*ck out of here," "You f*ck," "Oh sh*t," "You'll sh*t blood," "You little sh*thead," "You piece of sh*t," "You're full of sh*t," "You scared the sh*t out of me," "Corrupt spawn of your whoring mother," "Screwed up," "Where the hell /is he going/are you going to do about it?" But answer me this. One character briefly smokes a joint. We see various poisonous snakes in various places through the house, including in Leah's bed, in construction plastic along the ceiling, under Jesse's bed and under the fridge where Cooper reaches, unaware what's there. Phone: (818) 560-1000. FRIGHTENING SCENES If you were a vicious mad-dog killer and wanted to get rid of the Tilsons and had just pushed Leah down the well, and Cooper was all alone in the woods leaning over the well and trying to pull his wife back to the surface, would you just go ahead and push him in? Afraid for his family's safety, Cooper sends them back to stay in the city while he attempts to gather more evidence to incriminate Dale. Ruby, who appears to be drunk, then joins him and orders several rounds of shots for the two of them. He only stops when the sheriff aims her gun at him. Cooper and Leah argue about their situation. Cooper hears someone in his house, thinks he sees someone approaching on the other side of some hanging plastic, and punches that person (but it turns out to be Leah). Sleep with a cop. [Spoiler Warning] Early on, Leah is propositioned by a business colleague to spend the night together. Director Mike Figgis (who in the past brought us Leaving Las Vegas and the brilliant film Timecode) really should have his camera taken away from him. The movie itself is a giant mistake in filmmaking. An intruder breaks through a door to get onto the roof. The Tilsons continue to live in Cold Creek Manor. Next week, a look back at Oliver Stones Nixon. Cooper has a little bit of a bloody lip. [10], The film opened in 2,035 theaters in the United States on September 19, 2003, and grossed $8,190,574 in its opening weekend, ranking #5 at the box office, behind Underworld, Secondhand Lions, The Fighting Temptations and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. When it looks as if he has done a terrible thing, Cooper appeals to his daughter to trust in his innocence, which she does. Quaid starred in a similar film in 2019 called. Dale has a tattoo on his shoulder. Smoking What I saw from the trailer was not what I got when I saw the movie. Cooper and Leah argue about their situation. The movie plays like an all-star episode of This Old House for the first hour, a telenovela for the next 30 minutes, then, finally, a hack boogeyman flick in the last reel. Also, the cast is solid. The film stars Dennis Quaid, Sharon Stone, Stephen Dorff and Juliette Lewis.. The film was shot on location in Cambridge, Kitchener, Ayr, Brougham and Toronto, Ontario. When he is not spending time with his family, Bill can be found at the bottom of a lake . Cold Creek Manor gets a 1 Reelrating. Kristen is mad at her dad when she thinks he accidentally killed her pony. [5], Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times rated the film 1 stars and called it "an anthology of cliches" and "a thriller that thrills us only if we abandon all common sense". In rural Bellingham, they buy up the huge old Cold Creek Manor, which is going cheaply, and convert it into their dream house. Starring: Dennis Quaid, Christopher Plummer, Sharon Stone, Kristen Stewart, Juliette Lewis, Stephen Dorff, Dana Eskelson, Ryan Wilson. Heavy Parents, get practical information from a biblical worldview to help guide media decisions for your kids! SMOKING Dale Massie is the killer. Leah hears her kids screaming near the pool and races there to discover a snake in it (that Dale has captured and it isn't poisonous). Cooper begins to wonder just what Dale is trying to hide, and makes a blood-chilling discovery on the property. A horse is killed and dumped in the family swimming pool. Sheriff Ferguson is dedicated to keeping the peace, and becomes a refuge for the Tilsons when Dale turns the rest of the town against them. You will receive a verification email shortly. The two get into a fight at a bar, Dale and Cooper both drive away, but Dale chases him, and Cooper hits a deer in the process; Dale kills the daughter's pony, kills his dad in the nursing home (he mentions killing his family). It is in anamorphic widescreen format with audio tracks in English and French, and subtitles in Spanish. Dale has a bad attitude toward Cooper and his family and sets out to harass and get them out of his former house. So there's this family in New York City, but they want to get away to someplace less hectic, so they buy a run-down old house in the country. Eventually the previous owner Dale Massie (Stephen Dorff). During an altercation, Ruby pushes Leah backwards. Cold Creek Manor Woefully predictable imperiled-yuppie-family-under-siege suspenser. Again, why wasnt this clarified in the film? There is not one moment on screen that says to me that Dale is trustworthy. Extreme Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. Cooper ends up hitting a deer during that. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR The daughter and wife were far too distraught to consider that but the cop should have realized that immediately. [7], Peter Travers of Rolling Stone rated the film one star and commented, "It's sad to see risk-taking director Mike Figgis do a generic thriller for a paycheck and then not even screw with the rules . Especially the whole 'getting a dead horse into the pool while drunk' part. The intruder then tries to hit Cooper who blocks those attacks with a ladder. His wife, Leah, is a business executive who rises at 4:30 to hop a plane to her next big meeting. The intruder then tries to hit Cooper who blocks those attacks with a ladder. There are implied consequences to drunkenness when Cooper hits something with his car and his family doubts his ability to recall exactly what happened. Wanting to escape New York life for the countryside, Cooper (Quaid) and Leah Tilson (Stone), along with their two children, move into a dilapidated old mansion still filled with the possessions of the previous family. asks a helpful local. STEPHEN DORFF plays an ex-con who returns to the manor to work on it for the new owners, but then shows his true colors of wanting to get the house back for himself. JUMP SCENES Moderate Cooper agrees and we then see him and others drinking. *Moderate I thought that was incredible and must mean that Cold Creek Manorwas on its way to box office success. Cold Creek Manor is a 2003 American thriller film directed by Mike Figgis, and starring Dennis Quaid, Sharon Stone, Stephen Dorff, Juliette Lewis, Kristen Stewart and Christopher Plummer. Dale comments on Leah saying that he could have "f*cked" her anytime he asked. I wasnt scared, nor did I even know what the plot of the film was. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT 1 hr 58 min. An intruder breaks through a door to get onto the roof. 5.0 (23,095) 37. CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER plays Dale's cantankerous and mean father who's institutionalized in a nursing home. Thank you for signing up to CinemaBlend. Meanwhile, Dale visits his father and smothers him to death when he insults him and reveals his knowledge of Dale's crimes. The script grafts from every possible thriller most of which had pilfered their predecessors and loads on implausibilities until we wonder why the actors play it seriously". In all movies involving city people who move to the country, there is an unwritten rule that everybody down at the diner knows all about the history of the new property and the secrets of its former owners. By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions. Bonus features include commentary with director Mike Figgis; deleted scenes and an alternate ending; Rules of the Game, in which Figgis discusses the components of a psychological thriller; and Cooper's Documentary, in which he discusses the process of making the film within the film. Her husband, Cooper Tilson (Dennis Quaid), reminds her to reset the alarm clock to wake him up in time to get the kids to school and go to work. Leah tells Cooper that her boss asked her to sleep with him. ImitativeBehavior Her husband, Cooper (Dennis Quaid) is a documentary filmmaker who does all the dad-like duties. Heavy Yeah, you might not get a good look at Stephen Dorffs cut frame, but your brain will thank you for it in the long run. Once Dale enters the pictureand notices Cooper working on a documentary about the history of his new homestrange things start to happen. Cooper secretly tapes Dale's father in a nursing home (to use in a documentary). The film drags at times and the audience is almost guaranteed to be ahead of the film by the end of the first act, but Figgis tells us these are no-nos for the genre. Were they possibly thinking of doing maybe a revenge sequel? Leah wants to give Dale the benefit of the doubt when suspicions about him arise, and later apologizes to her husband for doubting his instincts. Dale Massie is the main antagonist of the 2003 film Cold Creek Manor. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. The screenplay by Richard Jefferies tells the story of a family terrorized by the former owner of the rural estate they bought in foreclosure. CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER plays Dale's cantankerous and mean father who's institutionalized in a nursing home. Dale's father says that Dale is the "corrupt spawn of your whoring mother" and then says that Dale's kids probably weren't even his, that he couldn't even make babies. Violence consists of several deaths (from smothering, a fall and unknown means), while attempts on others' lives also occurs. If you want to see a good Thriller, avoid Cold Creek Manor and go find a copy of Pacific Heights. Several people smoke cigarettes. He killed his wife and two children because they were going to leave him. If you are bored and have nothing else to do, why not. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE The key player this time is Ruby (Juliette Lewis), Dale's battered girlfriend, whose sister is Sheriff Annie Ferguson (Dana Eskelson). We are shown a new weapon, so something must happen with that weapon and it does. DANA ESKELSON plays Ruby's sister, the local sheriff who drags her feet in taking action against Dale and uses some strong profanity. "Creep," "Shut up," "You little bastard," "Whore," "Piss for brains," "Bitch," "Go lay an egg," "Pissing me off," "Pissed me off" and "Nuts" (crazy). Starring Dennis Quaid, Sharon Stone and Stephen Dorff. Days go by and Dale proves to be anything but helpful. the only things haunting this movie are cliches". All Rights Reserved, We see bloody water in the swimming pool and then see an underwater shot looking up from the bottom to reveal the silhouetted shape of a dead pony floating on the surface. We then see a shot of them (through a window with blinds that obscure much of what we're seeing) having sex, with movement and related sounds. It's the sort of movie that makes dumb guys like me feel smart. Cold Creek Manor gets a 1 Reel rating. So he convinces the Tilsons to hire him as a handyman. Other than that, enjoy Villains Wiki!!! A sudden sound might startle some viewers. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). His father expected his son to have had the Manor in his possesion, but when he looses the house to the government due to short payments, it becomes abandoned and the Tilson family moves in. We see the image of a somewhat decomposed and mummified face on a video playback. He and other characters consume beer, vodka and whiskey to excess. Where the hell did the killer go after pushing the wife down the well? Which is illogical once you start thinking about it. They buy a decaying mansion that was in foreclosure and began to restore it into their dream home. 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