There is something inherently satisfying about underdogs taking back what was stolen from them. Whether it’s Robin Hood, Ocean’s Eleven, or a crew of cyber-rebels, audiences love a well-executed heist. Cold Wallet taps into that basic thrill but trades the slick precision embedded in the genre for a pulpy, increasingly chaotic home-invasion thriller. Directed by Cutter Hodierne and written by John Hibey, the film starts with a compelling premise: a group of crypto-scorned Redditors sets out to kidnap the kingpin who scammed them—only to land in a situation far messier than they bargained for.

Raúl Castillo (Smile 2) is Billy, a working-class dad whose dream of homeownership evaporated when a crypto exchange called Tulip collapsed, taking his savings with it. Desperate to claw back what he lost, and repay what he now owes, he joins forces with hacker Eva (Melonie Diaz, Fruitvale Station) and recruits pacifist martial arts instructor friend and co-investor Dom (Tony Cavalero) to go after the elusive Charles Hegel (Josh Brener, Carry-On), the tech bro allegedly behind their financial ruin who faked his death to cover his tracks.

The plan? Break into the lavish remote mansion where he is supposedly hiding, seize his cold wallets* that has all of the money he gathered from people around the world like Billy, Eva, and Dom, and force him to pay it all back. But as is the case with most hastily planned heists, things unravel fast, and what starts as a mission for justice turns into something much darker.  
*A cold wallet is a type of cryptocurrency wallet that securely stores your private crypto keys offline, usually on a physical device.

There’s an immediacy to what’s going on in the current tumultuous economic climate that works in Cold Wallet‘s favor. The crypto angle is ripped from the headlines, though one has to wonder—will audiences a decade from now even remember what a cold wallet is? Still, the film captures the rage of financial disillusionment, especially for those who saw digital currency as a way out of traditional economic struggles. In press notes, Hodierne calls it a “battle cry of the common man,” channeling the frustration of people who feel cheated by systems that never seem to hold the right people accountable.

But the film struggles with a fundamental issue that nagged at me throughout: there’s no clear protagonist to root for. Billy’s desperation makes him relatable, but his impulsive choices make it hard to stay on his side. Eva and Dom bring different shades of moral ambiguity but don’t quite step up as compelling alternatives. And then there’s Hegel—Brener plays him with just the right mix of smarm and detachment, an easy villain but not a particularly interesting one. With no real anchor, the film becomes less about cheering for justice and more about watching bad decisions snowball into worse ones. That kind of descent can be gripping in short bursts, but it starts to drag when stretched to feature length.

On a technical level, the film is solid. Cinematographer Olivar Millar (making the leap to features from music videos with The Weeknd Arcade Fire, and Halsey)  makes excellent use of the mansion’s cavernous halls and shadowy corners, crafting an atmosphere thick with tension. The home-invasion sequences have a strong sense of unpredictability, keeping things engaging from moment to moment. Yet there’s a sense that the movie is stretching a lean premise too far. Surprises become scarce once the initial setup plays out, leaving the final act to lean on escalating brutality (once the cross-bow is out, all bets are off) rather than fresh narrative turns.

At its best, Cold Wallet taps into a very specific, very modern fury—the helpless wrath of watching the ultra-wealthy game the system while everyone else scrambles to keep up. But the film doesn’t quite know what to do with that anger. It’s too cynical for catharsis, too unfocused for lasting impact. Moderately entertaining in the moment, yes—but like the volatile crypto market it depicts, it’s unlikely to leave a lasting mark.