The Iceman - Movie Review
Rating: 4 out of 5
Much more involving than the usual hitman thriller, this film takes a deliberately personal approach to its characters that makes it unusually involving. Of course, since it's a film about mafia assassins, none of the characters are hugely likeable. But we're able to identify with them because the cast and crew help us see their souls. And of course, this kind of character brings out the best in Michael Shannon.
He plays Richie, who in the early 1960s has settled down with his new wife Deborah (Ryder) in New Jersey. She thinks his job involves dubbing Disney cartoons, but his projects are actually part of an illicit mob-run porn network. And when local boss Roy (Liotta) asks Richie to work as his henchman, Richie proves to be surprisingly adept at murder. This is mainly because he's so good at compartmentalising his life: keeping his family and work completely separate. But when things with Roy start turning sour, and Richie turns to a rival killer (Evans) for more work, Richie's two worlds begin to collide.
Based on a true story, the film is chilling in its matter-of-fact depiction of a family man who ruthlessly bumps off anyone who falls afoul of the mob. And as the clashes in Richie's life begin to escalate into something personal, the film cranks up the tension to unbearable levels. Shannon is mesmerising in the role, letting us see cracks in Richie's dispassionate surface as he's required to kill friends and colleagues (including Franco in a memorable cameo). So when his wife and daughters are threatened, he's like a tamed wild animal pushed into the corner. We know what he's capable of doing to protect them.
What's most remarkable is that neither Shannon nor filmmaker Vromen ever tries to justify Richie's twisted morality. This is simply what he does for a living. So the film forces us to see his humanity even as he's doing unthinkable things. And every detail fits into place, from terrific against-type performances from Ryder, Evans and Schwimmer to a dark current of moving emotion underneath the nerve-wracking suspense. And since these hitmen are never played as snarling monsters, it's far too easy to identify with them. We may not like what they do, but we understand how they feel about it. And that's what makes the film so unnervingly unmissable.
Rich Cline
Facts and Figures
Year: 2012
Genre: Thriller
Run time: 106 mins
In Theaters: Thursday 2nd May 2013
Box Office USA: $1.9M
Box Office Worldwide: $2M
Budget: $20M
Distributed by: Millennium Entertainment
Production compaines: Bleiberg Entertainment, Millenium Films
Reviews
Contactmusic.com: 4 / 5
Rotten Tomatoes: 66%
Fresh: 79 Rotten: 40
IMDB: 6.9 / 10
Cast & Crew
Director: Ariel Vromen
Producer: Ariel Vromen, Ehud Bleiberg
Screenwriter: Ariel Vromen, Morgan Land
Starring: Michael Shannon as Richard Kuklinski, Winona Ryder as Deborah Kuklinski, Ray Liotta as Roy Demeo, Chris Evans as Robert Pronge, David Schwimmer as Josh Rosenthal, James Franco as Marty Freeman, Stephen Dorff as Joey Kuklinski, Robert Davi as Leo Marks, John Ventimiglia as Mickey Scicoli, Danny A. Abeckaser as Dino Lapron (as Danny Abeckaser), Ryan O'Nan as Terry Franzo, McKaley Miller as Anabel, Hector Hank as Tender Bar Earl, Zoran Radanovich as Jimmy, Shira Vilensky as Coffee Shop Waitress, Kelly Lind as Hospital Nurse, John P. Fertitta as Uncle Bill (as John Fertitta), Erin Cummings as Ellen, Jimmy Lee Jr. as Homeless Man, Johnny Martin as Mareilli, Nick Gomez as Alvaro, Vincent Fuentes as JC, Brian Kinney as Slick BMW Guy, Ashlynn Ross as Alex, Weronika Rosati as Livi, Christa Campbell as Adele, Alexandra Doke as Park Little Girl, Bill Martin Williams as Club Maitre D', Lindsay Clift as Club USA Dance Partner (as Lindsay Erin Clift), Katarzyna Wolejnio as Romy, Jay Giannone as Dominick Provenzano, Freddy Bosche as Detective Beaumont, Tim Bell as Cop, Garrett Kruithof as Stanley Kuklinski, Ray Gaspard as Dennis, Juan Michael Konshuk-Mas as Mr. Freezy's Son, Ehud Bleiberg as Trial Judge, Jonathan Vender as Trial Judge (voice), Tommy Alastra as Documentary Interviewer (voice)