In this ’80s-set revenge story, the defiant Fox breaks out of an abusive commune in search of her family, but when the queenpin kidnaps her little sister and sends a crooked cop after her, Fox ha...
“Stone Cold Fox” so desperately wants to be a gritty, neon-soaked homage to ’80s action thrillers (you know, the kind with tough women, smoky bars, synth-heavy music, and blood-splattered redemption arcs), but co-writer and director Sophie Tabet never quite pulls it off. Despite there being a solid story in here somewhere and the cast being genuinely great, but the execution unfortunately just doesn’t match the ambition.
Set in 1986, the film follows Fox (Kiernan Shipka), a young woman who escapes from an abusive, cult-like commune only to be dragged back when the group’s ruthless queenpin (Krysten Ritter) kidnaps her little sister. To save her, Fox has to face down the ghosts of her past (including a crooked cop (Kiefer Sutherland) sent to bring her in) and infiltrate the very world she risked everything to flee.
On paper, it sounds like a gritty, emotional revenge tale with a feminist twist. In practice, it’s a mix of good intentions and bad editing.
There’s a lot to like about the setup at least. Shipka gives a fully committed performance as a woman who is tough, angry, and broken in all the right ways. The film’s exploration of queer identity and trauma has real heart. The central relationship between Fox and her love interest is tender and believable, and it’s always refreshing to see a queer love story play out in a genre that’s usually dominated by machismo and one line catch phrases.
But for all the good performances and themes, the movie can’t get out of its own way. The editing is rough, especially during the later action scenes. Think choppy cuts, strange slow-motion shots, and camera work that feels more like a poorly made student film than a stylized throwback. It’s clearly aiming for “Grindhouse” or “Atomic Blonde” energy, but it often ends up looking like a low budget late night cable movie instead.
The tone is a mess too. The film works best when it focuses on being a gritty revenge drama with real emotional stakes, and it flounders when it all too often dips into over-the-top artsy territory that doesn’t fit the story. It wants to be serious and pulpy at the same time, but it never finds the right balance.
With its story of survival, love, and self-redemption, “Stone Cold Fox” is a film you want to root for but can’t quite fall in love with. It’s got style, guts, and a great cast, but it just needed a steadier hand behind the camera.
