Do daddy issues go down smoother over ice? That seems to be the stance embraced by Stefan Ruzowitzky, whose Deadfall is one big frozen pater familias party. After robbing a tribal casino in the far north, brother-sister stickup artists Addison (Eric Bana) and Liza (Olivia Wilde) get into a blizzard-aided car crash that totals their ride and toasts their wheelman. Forced to gun down a state trooper to escape with the cash, Addison, the more cunning of the siblings, disappears into the storm, telling Liza, with whom he has a weird vibe (darn abusive father!), to meet him at the Canadian border. Cue Jay (Charlie Hunnam), a pugilistic ex-con who scoops up Liza and brings her back to meet his parents (Kris Kristofferson and Sissy Spacek) for Thanksgiving.
The former boxer struggles through a strained relationship with his patriarch, as does Hanna (Kate Mara), a deputy whose sheriff pop (Treat Williams) treats her like dirt as they search for the cop-killing duo. Bana, Deadfall’s main bursar of bloodshed and other creepo activity, is a sinister delight, but he can’t carry his co-stars, all of whom are limited by a script far too fixated on familial ennui.
