Iceman

Has anyone seen The Iceman yet? If so, how is it? will it be in theaters?

hasnt come out,only at a film festival i believe

heres a review

Richard Kuklinski worked as a contract killer for the mob for four decades. He claimed to have murdered at least 100 people and possibly more. He died in 2006 while serving out five consecutive life sentences in prison. He was characterized as brutal and unflinching and an outwardly emotionless man. He had a grisly penchant for chopping up his victims and freezing them before disposal hence the underworld moniker “The Iceman.”

Michael Shannon plays the terrifying title character with amazing control. His performance is an exercise in precision, showing us a coldly exacting killer boiling just under the surface. His tightly-controlled performance works so well because we see the character under incredible stress. Kuklinski may have been a hardened killer, but he was also a family man. He had a wife and children who knew absolutely nothing about his mob work. To them he was a devoted husband and father, perhaps a bit distant at times, but unequivocally a good man. Balancing this double life proves ample fodder for a fascinating film.


The Iceman himself is a truly captivating character, but, unfortunately, as memorable as Shannon’s performance is the same can’t be said about the other actors. It’s definitely an interesting cast, and they all seem to be trying, but no one here is acting on the same level as Shannon. Kuklinski’s wife Deborah is played amiably by Winona Ryder. It’s nice to see her in a substantial role again, but this is not her best performance. When she gets mad and starts yelling at her husband, you’ll totally believe his reaction but her end of the argument just isn’t quite there.

Similarly, the rest of the supporting cast gives passable performances that might work in a different film, but when put up directly against Shannon’s Iceman pale in comparison. Ray Liotta shows up and doesn’t stretch very much to play mob boss Roy DeMeo. Small scenes with James Franco and Stephen Dorff are both overly emotional and end up coming off as artificial. The only actor who really comes close to standing toe to toe with Shannon, surprisingly, is Chris Evans. He plays another contract killer, Robert Pronge, nicknamed “Mr. Softee” after the ice cream truck he drives around town. Since his character is written more as a peer to The Iceman perhaps that gives him an edge on relating to him more believably. Pronge and Kuklinski develop a respect for each other’s work and eventually start taking jobs together.



The kills here are suitably gruesome, but they’re all designed to serve the story. There’s nothing gratuitous here. Kuklinski is cold-blooded, never betraying emotion outwardly, but we can see there’s more going on. It’s the contrast between the public Kuklinski and the inner one that makes this film such a fascinating character study. You keep watching because you want to see how he holds it all together under such enormous pressure, what might break him, and where those boundaries lie.

The Iceman is a good film despite the secondary characters falling flat. The central story is excellent, and Michael Shannon gives a praise-worthy performance. This is the kind of character study that makes you question how some people can be the way they are … or realize that people are definitely not all they seem to be.

comes out may 3rd stateside in theaters

Considering the source material, the only reason I'd watch this is for Michael Shannon's performance.

looks decent enough, i will stream it when it drops

They would have been better off making a movie focusing on Roy De Meo and his relationship with the two families.

Roy De Meo and Nino Gaggi; Nino Gaggi and Dominick Montiglio; Roy De Meo and Chris Rosenberg. So many interesting dynamics that could make for a really diverse and interesting mob movie.

Michael Shannon was the only good part of that movie. The bizarre casting of Chris Evans and David Schwimmer and the complete waste of Ray Liotta as Roy De Meo was depressing.

The iceman was a disturbed hillbilly with a mangina

Awful stuff