**_Glum thriller about a cache of millions buried in the snowy woods of Wisconsin_** This comes in the tradition of films like “Affliction,” “A Simple Plan,” “Frozen River” and “Deadfall.” I’d cite “Fargo” as well, but that film had a sense of humor whereas there’s zero levity in “Appleton,” aka “Winter Killer.” It had the lowest budget of all of these (although it might’ve been in the same ballpark as “Frozen Ground”), but you wouldn’t know it by the proficiency of the filmmaking, such as the cinematography and acting. Yet it’s the least of these due to its somewhat incoherent storytelling, not to mention the lack of a ray of light. There might be a flicker of light, but it’s pretty much doused by the downbeat tone. Still, there’s enough good in the flick to give it a marginal ‘thumbs up’ as long as you don’t mind ultra-morose dramatics and unlikable characters, generally speaking. Despite the sometimes “incoherent storytelling,” you’ll eventually be able to put the pieces together, even if you have to reflect on the material afterward. A few highlights beyond the outstanding wintry ambiance include: Jesse Chevy as the desperate man-on-the-run; Trevor Downie as the corrupt rural sheriff, who’s in over his head and everything’s reaching the boiling point; Alison Sieke as his sister, who resembles Little Red Riding Hood with the grey background; and Jonathan Tabler as the no-nonsense thug whom you don’t want to mess with. Don’t look for accurate geography as the ‘Appleton’ in the movie is a much smaller fictionalized version of the town as opposed to the real-life city of 77,000 inhabitants. Moreover, the Wisconsin town of La Crosse is located southwest of Appleton on the western border of the state, so a person wouldn’t be traveling “down from” La Crosse, but rather “up from” or, at least, “over from.” It runs 1h 25m and was shot in winter 2013 in the rural area northwest of Lake Winnebago, including the towns Hortonville, Greenville, Dale, Grand Chute and Appleton, which are located southwest of Green Bay in the east-central part of the state. GRADE: B-
