Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- bleak
- foreboding
- oppressive
- late night thriller viewing
- dark winter evening
What critics said
Critics broadly admired the film's unsettling aesthetic, stark atmosphere, and performances while finding its narrative foundations shaky and opaque.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The northern Alaskan setting, winter darkness, wolves, and remote settlements create an atmosphere where nature and human violence feel equally threatening.
The deaths of Medora and Vernon's child, Vernon's return from war, and the resulting revenge connect domestic trauma with military and communal violence.
Russell Core's investigation repeatedly encounters dark secrets, unexplained behavior, and narrative gaps that resist straightforward resolution.
Retired naturalist Russell Core travels to the edge of civilization to help Medora and is drawn into the escalating conflict among the Slones and the local police.
Films like Hold the Dark, and why
The Revenant
shared bleak atmosphere, isolated wilderness setting, morally corrosive violence, and enigmatic thriller structure
Wind River
shared remote American landscape, brooding crime tension, sudden brutality, and themes of vengeance
Blue Ruin
shared psychologically fractured characters, grim violence, ambiguous morality, and unsettling mystery
You Were Never Really Here
shared surreal darkness, revenge-driven crime narrative, and disorienting shifts in emotional perspective
Movie Details
- Director
- Jeremy Saulnier
- Release Date
- 2018-09-22
- Runtime
- 125 min
- Rating
- 5.5 / 10 (1077)
Cast
- Jeffrey Wright
- Alexander Skarsgård
- James Badge Dale
- Riley Keough
- Julian Black Antelope
- Tantoo Cardinal
- Macon Blair
- Jonathan Whitesell
- Peter McRobbie
- Beckam Crawford
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Hold the Dark about?
- A retired wolf expert becomes trapped in an opaque cycle of grief, revenge, and brutality in the frozen Alaskan wilderness.
- What is Hold the Dark like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Hold the Dark as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Hold the Dark violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Hold the Dark as graphic.
- What did critics think of Hold the Dark?
- Critics broadly admired the film's unsettling aesthetic, stark atmosphere, and performances while finding its narrative foundations shaky and opaque.
- Which films are like Hold the Dark?
- Films with a similar feel include The Revenant, Wind River, Blue Ruin, and You Were Never Really Here.
- How long is Hold the Dark?
- Hold the Dark runs 125 minutes.
- Where can I watch Hold the Dark?
- In United States, Hold the Dark streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
