Why did the police do this in Cold in July?

I found Cold in July to be a surprising, well-crafted movie. Except I cannot figure out why

Price and his men tried to stage the accidental death of Russel by injecting him, pouring alcohol on him and leaving him on the train tracks.

At this point in the movie:

Russel believes the body in the grave is his son.
The police have ample evidence of his new crimes to put him back in jail.
He's in local police custody already (so it means they caught him).

Given this, their actions seems uncharacteristically random and, frankly, risky given the chances of it going wrong against them. Based on all the reveals later in the film, it seems to me they've already covered their bases, so why do they take that action, including falsifying a cover story about Mexico?

plot-explanation cold-in-july

Pictures about "Why did the police do this in Cold in July?"

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Why did the police do this in Cold in July? - Woods Covered With Snow

Why did the police do this in Cold in July? - Iguazu falls

What happens in Cold in July?

"Cold in July" starts simply enough. Family man Richard Dane (Michael C. Hall) wakes up in the middle of the night, and kills an intruder. Distraught, Richard attends the would-be burglar's funeral, and is confronted by Russel (Sam Shepard), his victim's father.

Where was Cold in July filmed?

After his previous films, Mickle had tired of city-based productions and was looking for something less urban. Shooting began in Kingston, New York on July 29, 2013. Locations included Esopus, Woodstock, and other Hudson Valley settings. It was shot using a Red Epic camera.

Who directed Cold in July?

We Are What We Are is a 2013 American horror film directed by Jim Mickle and starring Bill Sage, Julia Garner, Ambyr Childers, and Kelly McGillis. It was screened at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

Cold in July: Sam Shepard tells Don Johnson \u0026 Michael C. Hall what has to be done.

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Images: Andrea Piacquadio, Nastya Korenkova, Mikhail Nilov, Rodolfo Clix