The movie’s opening is outwardly simple: Richard Dane (performed by Corridor), a small-town body store proprietor, finds himself inexplicably and reluctantly pressured into heroics. His act? Killing a burglar—in self-defense. Nonetheless, as Chilly in July is a darkish thrill starring none aside from Dexter, the serial-killer-killing-serial-killer, issues can and should proceed grimly from there.
Certainly, Dane’s unintentional bout of violence propels him right into a twisted, brutal labyrinth, a maze worsened by deceit, vengeance, and enigma.
Quickly, Dane winds up partnered with two unlikely allies—the burglar’s vengeful father, portrayed by the good Sam Shepard, and a flashy personal investigator, performed memorably by Don Johnson. The trio careens right into a seedy world of corruption and moral ambiguity as they unravel a draconian conspiracy, thread by thread.
