Based on a actual events, Ariel Vromen's The Iceman tells the story of notorious contract killer Richard Kuklinksi who was believed to be responsible for the death of over 100 people. The film follows Kuklinski's life from his early days when he became entangled with the mob until his arrest. Ariel Vromen's The Iceman is a decent crime drama that never dives deep enough into Kuklinski's psyche being far too reliant of Shannon's powerful performance. In my opinion, Michael Shannon is one of the best actors working today and he does a great job playing this character who has a relatively smooth demeanor with rage boiling right underneath the surface. He carries the movie on his back with this mesmerizing portrayal of a man who performs brutal murders only to return home and be a loving husband and father. The film is truly centered around this man's profession and his family but I never thought it achieved that outside surface level dramatics. The Iceman is a very fast paced picture which covers many years in a small time frame. While some may like the fast paced narrative I really wish the film would have taken more time to build the emotions and themes of the story. The slight compassion one feels for Kuklinski is a bi-product of Shannon's performance and has little to do with the writing and structure. Ariel Vromen's The Iceman is an average crime thriller that is elevated by Michael Shannon's performance. 6.5/10
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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