A family and others are stuck between a fire and vicious animals in Colin Minihan’s uneven but worth watching Coyotes, presented as part of Fantastic Fest.
CW: Animal death
As I write this, it’s the end of summer. So it’s fire season for many of us. Here in Washington, the fires are far away, but the smoke isn’t. Windows are shut, air purifier is on. I’m very glad the fire isn’t raging down the street and getting closer. If it were, I could leave. Unfortunately for our protagonists in the Hollywood Hills, they can’t. The fire is closing in, but so are a band of bloodthirsty coyotes, trapping them within.
Coyotes is essentially a siege movie of a different tack. We follow the ups and downs of surviving for the family, neighbors, and others in the nearby sphere, working with the two forces, gaining, losing, building, and breaking. It mostly works. The family dynamic is strong, running well off another with a solid drama at the center. It helps that movie parents Justin Long and Kate Bosworth are a married couple in real life. The tension is high, and the action is well presented.
The downside of Coyotes is the same as many siege films. After a push at the start to establish the threat to the audience and get people in place, the script by Ted Daggerhart & Nick Simon stalls for a while. And even after it gets going and the characters are aware, Coyotes takes a little break. We also have to deal with characters making dumb choices, outside of what’s been established, to move things forward. But when it’s moving, it’s very well done, thrilling, nasty, and effective. For the blood hounds, the bites and tears, along with other bits of violence, are well-made. It’s nasty, bloody, and wince-inducing.
Perhaps the flatter bits were meant to be in service to the dark humor tone. It’s clear Cotyoes is meant to be a horror-comedy. Character title cards out of a comic, the mere presence of Justin Long (good to see so quickly after his couple of scenes in Weapons), conversational back and forths, and how many characters are treated. But much of the humor didn’t land for me, in an effort to try too hard to get a gag. Additionally, Coyotes was often at odds with itself in other portions treated oddly seriously, like someone else stepped in to create some scenes, unaware it’s a comedy.
Minihan and Cinematographer Bradley Stuckhel give Coyotes a great look. It’s a film increasingly darker with lighting more and more from the myriad of fires. The fire photography is gorgeous, with the fire-fed red creating an understated, looming horror. They create a tension of claustrophobia inside the sprawling houses under siege, using the locations very well.
Long’s character undergoes the arc and growth, despite being part of an ensemble. He’s established to be a bit of a loser, in terms of doing much he needs to do to be a present dad and husband. Part of it is not being a builder, house repairer, or exterminator. I take a bit of offence; I can’t do those either, leaving it to the professionals, but it doesn’t make me a weaker person. But I get it. Life isn’t a movie, and in the film world, it allows Long to step up and fill these holes to create a character dynamic. The rest of the cast is able, again good chemistry with Bosworth, although she’s mostly reacting. I particularly enjoyed the timing and laughs Brittany Allen adds as an unexpected guest to the home.
Coyotes is a solid When Animals Attack/Siege flick. It’s fun and funny, even if it hits pause on things for a little while. With a great look and strong lead in Justin Long, pet Colin Minihan’s Coyotes if you dare. Coyotes is presented as part of Fantastic Fest 2025, running September 18th through 25th.