Fickle financial dealings leave a man and his friends in debt, prompting them to go in search of the slippery crypto king responsible and hold him to account

The opening crawl for this timely, acute thriller proclaims it’s a Steven Soderbergh presentation, although that’s the only place that the veteran film-maker’s name crops up in the credits. No doubt kudos here should mostly be due to director Cutter Hodierne and screenwriter John Hibey, as well as their crew and cast, but it’s tempting to sense a light Soderberghian touch in Cold Wallet’s blackly comic look at how cryptocurrency eats the soul of all who meddle in its black arts.

Charismatic Raúl Castillo stars as protagonist Billy, a bit of a screw-up who is neck deep in a crypto called – tellingly for those aware of the history of bubble stocks – Tulip. Hoping to cash out enough to buy a house so he can gain better access to his daughter who lives with his bitter ex-wife (Zoe Winters from Succession), Billy is the proverbial this close to his goal when the currency suddenly tanks after reports of the sudden death of its founder. Now, Billy finds he actually owes money. The same goes for his good friend, hippy-jock Dom (Tony Cavalero), who Billy talked into investing in Tulip and is now at risk of losing his gym business.