A child taken hostage. A parent desperate to rescue her child from a shadowy gang. A pack of wolves hunting hikers in the frigid wilderness. While these ingredients sound like a cinematic mash-up of Liam Neeson’s “Taken” and “The Grey,” director David Hackl’s action-thriller “Daughter of the Wolf” captures something unique: the tenacious drive of a mother battling her way through criminals and the cold to rescue her teen son from a madman. Despite never quite reaching the fevered pitch of those aforementioned thrillers, the filmmakers adeptly blur the lines between the heroes and anti-heroes, constructing a dynamic, character-driven portrait of rage and redemption.
Ex-military specialist Clair Hamilton (Gina Carano) is going through a rough patch. The stench of death has followed her through two tours in the Middle East and now back at home. Her father recently passed away and her teen son Charlie (Anton Gillis-Adelman) is withdrawing from her affections, blaming her for their fractured relationship. Years prior, she abandoned him to the care of her dad so she could re-enlist and return to the combat zone — her way of dealing with the inconsolable grief of losing Charlie’s father in a roadside bombing. She’s returned for a reckoning and reconciliation, shouldering the guilt of leaving her son behind. However, right as the pair attempt to mend these familial fissures, Charlie is kidnapped by thugs led by the ruthless “Father” (Richard Dreyfuss) and held for ransom — a ransom that’s not merely monetary.
