The Cold Light of Day

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The Cold Light of Day

PG-13

2012

1h 33m

Action

Mystery & Thriller

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4%

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47 Reviews

29%

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10,000+ Ratings

Young business consultant Will Shaw (Henry Cavill) flies to Spain for a vacation aboard his family's sailboat. When Will returns from some on-shore shopping, his family is gone and will be killed if he does not deliver a missing briefcase within 24 hours. As it turns out, his father (Sigourney Weaver) is not a cultural attaché but a spy, and Will is in over his head. He must find a way to turn the tables on his enemies, or he and his family will all die.

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Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

Sep 14, 2012

Cavill is no substitute for Van Damme, whose self-critical performance gave the earlier movie much of its heft

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Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

Sep 14, 2012

0/5

Fans of inane and/or unnecessary expositional dialogue will have a field day. Everyone else can Netflix Hudson Hawk and forget to watch it, thus having more fun than anyone who shells out $10.50 for this tedious stinker.

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Sheri Linden

Los Angeles Times

Sep 10, 2012

1/5

The script throws around phrases like "intel," "terrorist" and "rogue operative," but as time bombs go, the briefcase-versus-loved-ones ultimatum barely ticks.

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Aug 19, 2022

2/5

Bruce Willis disappears, Henry Cavill takes center stage, and the bottom falls out.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Apr 30, 2022

1/4

...an often astonishingly inept piece of work that squanders its decent setup and talented performers.

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Jason Best

Movie Talk

Dec 12, 2020

Even if Cavill's bewildered hero is taken aback by successive turns of events, the viewer will probably see every twist coming.

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Ndumiso 2

@RT94605717 3 days ago

A great introduction to the genre of espionage, this movie follows a young man thrown into the middle of intense spywork where he has to forget everything he's ever known, including the man he knew as his father, and give everything beyond himself to find his abducted family. The stakes are easy to follow (briefcase/family) and the movie barely entertains clichés. It is an enjoyable sitdowner and Henry Cavill certainly breathes life to the man character Will Shaw who goes from scared little boy to a man doing everything to stay alive. Highly recommended.

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Andrea J

@RT18260529 May 17, 2026

I dont understand the bad reviews for this movie. I loved tjhis movie!

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Michael K

@Krowie Mar 19, 2026

Schon in den ersten zehn Minuten dutzende Logik und Schnittfehler. Dann stirbt Bruce, wahrscheinlich, weil er keine Lust mehr hatte, und der Rest der Crew spielt tapfer und erfolglos gegen seinen Tod an. Manchmal nutzen auch berühmte Namen nix.

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Becky A

@RT59308745 Jan 22, 2026

Not my favourite Willis film. Kudos for the filmmakers being brave enough to take out their leading veteran hero so early! I saw everyone being *gasp* related to each other coming a mile away, but I think that adds to it's charm. Worth a watch. Caroline Goodall is as adorable as ever.

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Cristian s

@cristiansj Jan 22, 2026

Una película de accion y espías bastante digna con un presupuesto bastante decente parece en todo aunque no en el elenco jajaja. Simple pero disfrutable a la vez, mucho efecto practico cosa que hoy en día se hace extrañar.

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Carlos T

@RT67858720 Nov 15, 2025

Filme: Busca Implacável Assistido: 15-11-25 Elenco: @brucewillisbw @henrycavill @official_sigourneyweaver @veronicaechegui @carogoodall @emmahamiltonofficial @gavronrafi Modelo: #ação #espionagem Duração: 1h 33m Ano: 2012 Minha opinião: Filme onde temos duas gerações de filmes de ação juntos, Bruce e Henry. Atuando como pai e filho em uma férias de uma semana, Will (Cavill) vai para Europa passar com sua família. Mas em meio uma discussão, Will vai até um vilarejo comprar remédio. Quando retorna o veleiro que estavam sumiu. Ele vai até a policia, porém ele perceber algo estranho. Até o momento que descobre que sua família foi sequestrada pela Mussahd. E querem trocar sua familia, por arquivos que seu pai roubou. Nisso seu pai encontra com Carrack (Weaver) parceira de trabalho, as ela o trai e rouba os arquivos. E Bruce é morto. Assim Will tem que se virar para salvar sua família recuperando o arquivo, porem Carrack quer eliminar a todos. E assim vira aquele filme de espião. E Will descobre que tem uma meia irmã Lucia (Echegui) que ajuda. Com várias cenas de tiros e perseguição os mocinhos vencem e sua família é liberta. Vale apena assistir?: Há vários filmes do genero. Um filme mediano. Nota: 6

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Mabrouk El Mechri

Director

Henry Cavill

Will Shaw

Bruce Willis

Martin Shaw

Sigourney Weaver

Jean Carrack

Verónica Echegui

Lucia Caldera

Caroline Goodall

Laurie Shaw

The Cold Light of Day: Official Clip - A Special Agent

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The Cold Light of Day: Official Clip - Will is Cornered

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The Cold Light of Day: Official Clip - Finding a Way Down

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The Cold Light of Day: Official Clip - Did You Set Me Up?

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The Cold Light of Day: Official Clip - Do You Want to Save Your Family?

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The Cold Light of Day: Official Clip - Battle for the Briefcase

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The Cold Light of Day: Official Clip - He Was My Father Too

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The Cold Light of Day: Official Clip - The Deal

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The Cold Light of Day: Official Clip - Chase Through Madrid

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The Cold Light of Day: Official Clip - Caldera's Office

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Synopsis

Young business consultant Will Shaw (Henry Cavill) flies to Spain for a vacation aboard his family's sailboat. When Will returns from some on-shore shopping, his family is gone and will be killed if he does not deliver a missing briefcase within 24 hours. As it turns out, his father (Sigourney Weaver) is not a cultural attaché but a spy, and Will is in over his head. He must find a way to turn the tables on his enemies, or he and his family will all die.

Director: Mabrouk El Mechri
Producer: Marc D. Evans, Trevor Macy
Screenwriter: John Petro
Distributor: Summit Entertainment
Production Co: Film Rites, Picture Machine, Haven Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Violence|Intense Sequences of Action|Language)
Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 7, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 6, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.7M
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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