Interview: Jim Mickle Talks His Acclaimed Crime Thriller, 'Cold in July'

One of the movies at this past Sundance that everyone said I needed to see was Cold in July, the third feature from quickly-rising director, Jim Mickle. Unfortunately it was a film I couldn't catch up with until much later, and the months in between saw many of my colleagues talking about how Mickle so easily flipped multiple genres, from home invasion thriller to revenge Western, into a totally unique experience. Now that I've seen it for myself and know it to be true, Mickle has catapulted to the top of my list of directors worth following into any project they undertake.

Considering what Mickle has done before it's tough to figure out where he'll go next. He was put on the map by the killer vampire flick, Stake Land, followed by the chilling horror remake, We Are What We Are. Cold in July is completely different from them both; an adaptation of Joe R. Lansdale's crime novel about a reserved Texas family man who kills in an act of self defense, only to find it opens the door to seemingly endless violence. Michael C. Hall, Don Johnson, and Sam Shepard star in the film, which is something of a throwback to the work of Walter Hill and John Carpenter.

I had a chance to talk with Mickle about Cold in July, adapting Lansdale's novel, and finding the right balance of violence and humor. Check out that interview below.