After losing everything in a cryptocurrency scam, a ragtag team of vigilante Redditors attempt to kidnap the kingpin who screwed them over. But when the home invasion takes a turn for the worst, they become victims in a sadistic game.
RELEASING IN THEATERS AND DIGITAL
ON FEBRUARY 28TH
‘Cold Wallet’ is a captivating suspense thriller that plunges the audience into a world riddled with deceit and desperation, all triggered by a cryptocurrency scam. The narrative is anchored by three main characters, each grappling with the aftermath of losing their financial security. Their shared trauma links their fates, driving them toward a quest for retribution that unfolds within a chillingly secluded mansion.
At the heart of Cold Wallet lie the intricate relationships between the characters. Their unique backgrounds not only influence their motivations but also create a rich tapestry of personal stakes intertwined with their financial losses. As they devise a plan to break into the scammer’s home, their lack of experience and foresight presents a compelling irony—a reflection of how desperation can cloud judgment. This leads to unforeseen challenges that heighten the creeping dread throughout the narrative.
The film utilizes strategic camera work, lighting, and visual storytelling to amplify its suspenseful atmosphere. Each frame is crafted to keep the audience on the edge of their seats, oscillating between thrilling action and profound character exploration. As the characters confront their fears and moral dilemmas, ‘Cold Wallet’ transcends a mere heist narrative, offering a thought-provoking commentary on justice and desperation in modern society.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
COLD WALLET is a pulp crime thriller– a battle cry of the common man, and an expression of America’s economic desperation. A Kidnapping Gone Wrong is told through a heart-pounding Robin Hood revenge story in the era of cryptocurrencies and disinformation, set in a Robber Baron mansion from the Gilded Age. It’s an urgent and contemporary story with a soul and a unique perspective. We’re all being screwed by the financial institutions around us, and finally here’s a group of characters getting back at that institution on behalf of all of us.
In early 2021, when the frenzy around GameStop’s surging stock was national news, I became enamored by this grassroots meme movement that was threatening to upend the entire way our society invests in the markets. There was a collective daydream that ordinary everyday people were changing the financial system and perhaps, for once, sticking it to the man. But, of course, we were wrong. What followed was a wave of online get-rich-quick schemes and an endless barrage of new digital currencies, each one promising us a chance to lift ourselves and Win like the big guys. An express lane to the American dream, all at your fingertips on your smartphone. But where are we investing? Or was our culture experiencing a collective gambling addiction? Why was our society so ripe for this? And what would happen when, yet again, that house of cards came crashing down on the little guys? I even co-produced a documentary on this subject, This is Not Financial Advice, that premiered at Tribeca last summer.
I’ve known many people who have gotten rich fast and then fallen horribly. I’ve experienced their ups and downs firsthand. I know the lingo. The subculture. I’m uniquely positioned to have created this movie through these lived experiences. I may even dabble a little myself (we are finally up again!). I make heist movies with a heart. I’m drawn to the salt of the earth underdogs. I’m drawn to the bold, brazen characters in the crime stories of Elmore Leonard, George Pelecanos, and the Coens. The hapless criminals that get in over their heads. Maybe I’m one of them.
I’m immediately attracted to a character like Billy, who saw his fortunes turn up so quickly, only in the blink of an eye, to have it all come crashing down. I’m drawn to the character that isn’t going to take that on the nose. Instead of giving in, Billy is going to give it right back. Even if that means risking it all again. And this time, with his life. Cold Wallet is a heist film with a big, fat, beating heart. And that’s why I made this movie. In some of my earlier work, I told the story of Abdi, a desperate Somali fisherman who turns to piracy on the high seas. The motivations of Abdi echo in the lives of oppressed working-class Americans like Billy, Dom, and Eva. The get-rich-quick possibilities that Web 3.0 appears to bring us are not unlike the container ships floating by impoverished shores. Tempting desperate young people to come and get the glory. Cold Wallet is about an idealism that comes crashing down and the animalism that results from that crash. It’s about people who fly too close to the sun. And it’s a hell of a ride.
Director
Cutter Hodierne
Writer
John Hibey
Starring
Raul Castillo (Smile 2)
Melonie Diaz (Charmed)
Tony Cavalero (The Righteous Gemstones)
Josh Brener (Silicon Valley)
Zoe Winters (Succession)
Producers
John Hibey
Benjamin Wiessner
Cutter Hodierne
