Hold the Dark is a 2018 thriller movie directed by Jeremy Saulnier and based on the novel of the same name by William Giraldi. The film follows retired naturalist Russell Core, who is summoned to a remote village in Alaska by Medora Slone, whose six-year-old son has been taken by wolves. Core agrees to help Slone, but as he tracks the wolves and searches for the missing boy, he begins to unravel a much darker and twisted mystery that involves the villagers.
The film explores themes of humanity, morality, and the human psyche, as Core gets embroiled in the darkness of the village and its inhabitants. He meets Vern Slone, Medora's husband, who is away on military duty, but upon his return, they are involved in a brutal and violent altercation, leading Core to suspect that something sinister is happening in the village.
As Core delves deeper into the mystery, he discovers that a group of soldiers stationed in the area has been conducting secret experiments on wolves and using the surrounding wilderness as a testing ground. Meanwhile, the villagers have become desensitized to the violence and have formed an uneasy alliance with the soldiers, resulting in a brewing tension that threatens to break out into an all-out war.
The film features outstanding performances by Jeffrey Wright as Russell Core, Alexander Skarsgård as Vern Slone, and Riley Keough as Medora Slone. The cinematography, score, and direction by Saulnier are masterful, creating an intense and foreboding atmosphere that keeps the audience on edge for the film's duration. Hold The Dark is a captivating and haunting film that explores the darkness of human nature and the consequences of unchecked violence and greed.