The Iceman

Michael Shannon is simply terrific at playing the "creepy" guy...the one with perhaps a normal exterior, but whose inner life is deeply troubled. Usually, he delivers these shadings in the service of relatively nice guys (REVOLUTION ROAD, TAKING SHELTER [maybe his best role] and BUG, for example). These are all nice guys with issues. Shannon lets us see the surface and also the anguish just below. Whether it's a gaze that doesn't quite meet your eyes, or a furrowed brow or just a turn of phrase...he's never less than riveting and just a little scary.In THE ICEMAN, he has found the perfect character...one that no one but him could have played as well. While his lead role in the remarkable TAKING SHELTER is perhaps his most layered performance; his role in this true story is perhaps the most tailor-made for him. Which IS ironic, since it's a true story. Shannon plays a cold-blooded killer for the Jersey mob. Over the decades, it is estimated he killed over 100 people. In all manners of death and without remorse or pity. And without any seeming enjoyment. His face is a blank stare. When he is threatened with death, he has virtually no reaction beyond mild curiosity...and when he kills, there is even less going on. But when he is temporarily sidelined, he becomes like a caged animal, literally pacing and on edge and ready to explode. Killing clearly is his way of exorcising some kind of personal demon.At the same time, Shannon is married and has a lovely family he cherishes above all else. His feelings, though a bit tightly contained, seem genuine. He loves his wife (Wynona Ryder) and never strays from her. His daughters are the light of his life. He keeps them sheltered from what he really does, and provides for them well. He is a bit of an odd-bird, even to his wife...but certainly no one would suspect what he really does.This is a dark and low-budget film. There is little sunshine to be found, and given that much of it takes place in the '70s, it has an extra sheen of grime that comes with all the polyester. And the plot itself is pretty straightforward. We know (because the first scene shows us) that Shannon will be caught, but because he is surrounded by other low-life thugs who seem even more petty than him, we actually sort of root for the guy. The story is told through his eyes almost entirely, and we cannot help but side with him just a bit. There is, I reluctantly admit, something a bit gripping about seeing someone who is a master at what he does at work.Shannon is the main reason, by far, to see this film. He is mesmerizing throughout. Ray Liotta has a significant role as the mob boss...doing the exact same character he's been doing for about 20 years. Ryder is fine...the role is hardly one that would revive her career, but it's good to see her in something where she isn't making fun of herself too. Best of all is Chris Evans as another hit man, who embarks on a years long collaboration of sorts with Shannon. His personality is all flash and sparkle...and Evans, normally such a straight-laced good guy (CAPTAIN AMERICA, anyone?) looks great in the '70s garb and hair. He's busting out with energy, creating a stark contrast with Shannon's contained rage.We find out very little about this true to life character. We get a tiny glimpse at what may have broken in him, but no sense of what makes him so casual about killing. His love for his family seems genuine and shows real emotion. Yet he appears to be a sociopath of the first order. The two sides of him make for an uneasy reconciliation for the viewer, which I feel only adds to the power of the film.The climax of the film comes fast and surprising. And Shannon finally gets a chance to let loose...and it's a thing of power and rawness. And unlike with his silly character in MAN OF STEEL, when this guy sees his life instantly collapsing, his outcry of rage and horror is chilling.I highly recommend this film, although it does have a bleak outlook on life and humanity. I didn't feel depressed at its conclusion (not at all, it is so well done), but I wasn't exactly uplifted! [By the way, James Franco receives pretty high billing in the film and is on the cover of the disk. He is in exactly one brief scene. Just to warn ya.]

Highly recommend

FORMAT: Blu-Ray UPC: 6-87797-14016-6 RELEASED: 2013-09-03TITLE: The Iceman (2012) • R • 1:45:27 Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, Chris Evans, James Franco Ariel Vromen (Director) "The Iceman" is a movie that I had heard very little about before Amazon put it on sale for one of its "Black Friday" events. Because of the LOW price, I took the plunge and bought it sight-unseen (which, for me, is HIGHLY unusual). I am VERY happy that I did, as this movie is an underrated gem; with a very interesting story and with very good to excellent performances by the cast. Highly recommended. See the other reviews for more detail and/or other opinions regarding the plot of the movie.VIDEO: 1.78:1 • Color • 1080p • MPEG-4 AVC (20.2 Mbps) While the images in this presentation of the "The Iceman" are mostly (but, not always) sharp, it has poor contrast (which, admittedly, may be a conscious decision by the director/cinematographer because of the dark gritty nature of the source material — which, by the way, is why I "generously" scored it a 3.6 for VIDEO quality; however, if the film's look was NOT intentional, then it deserves a 2.5 VIDEO quality score). However, because of this lack of contrast there are absolutely NO truly dark (i.e.—black) shadows anywhere in this picture (with the darkest of them looking like a not-very-dark hazy gray); and, since the vast majority of the movie takes place in dark indoor settings and at night, this makes for an image that, on the whole, appears to be washed-out and not very dimensional. Mercifully, there were no additional major picture anomalies (such as: specks, hair-lines, white dots, excessive banding, color fluctuations, etc.) to further mar this movie's image. Overall, I think that most of this movie's picture quality issues could be solved by placing it on a BD-50 disc (instead of its current DB-25 disc) and significantly increasing its bit-rate. In the end, because of all of its issues, I rate this movie's picture quality as barely adequate: meaning, that while it may satisfy the casual viewer (particularly on 40-inch or smaller TV's, with out-of-the-box picture settings), most serious viewers and videophiles will find it very, to severely, lacking.AUDIO: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48KHz, 24-bit) The audio quality exhibited by the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack on this disc is, particularly when contrasted (pun intended) with its visual presentation, a revelation! The surround channels were very active and very directional, dialog was cleanly recorded and is natural sounding and is well-placed, and ambient sounds (which were used to convey the location of the on-screen settings and actions) were very effectively integrated into the soundtrack. Plus, surprisingly, there are plenty of occasions where deep, energetic bass is evident; and, not just in the subwoofer channel, but in ALL of the other channels as well. This is a very fine example of cinematic sound design, that while it is NOT a Dolby Atmos / DTS:X / 7.1 presentation, is still an excellent 5.1 soundtrack, which should satisfy all but the very pickiest of listeners.EXTRAS: Two 'Making Of' type videos None of the extras were reviewed.

So, I know what Hollywood does to true stories. They embellish, and take poetic license. I'm fine with that. I still liked and was moved by how much this guy loved his family. It was amazing how he compartmentalized how he made his living, keeping it together for his wife and daughters. I hope they were able tp carry on with their lives.

Love the Movie have watched it many times.

This movie was outstanding and especially because it’s a true story. I love movies about the mafia and for me this movie was legit from the beginning till the end. I really enjoyed the movie.

The Iceman is based on the life of Richard Kuklinski, a hitman for the 'Mob'. Unfortunately however extraordinary the life of the real Kuklinski was; it has not translated in to a decent film. In fact this is a bad film, only worthy of two and a half stars but I am feeling generous (as you can't do halves).Like the 'Curates Egg' the acting is good in parts, but sadly there are not enough of these good parts to pull the lack of narrative detail out of a obfuscated fog. The lack of a developed narrative is very probably the biggest fault with the movie and may well be why the actors do not rise to the occasion.The cast list encouraged me to buy this film; with the prospective talent arrayed how could this film be less than good…sadly none of the cast really seem to have made much of an effort: Michael Shannon does one thing well, that is to look simultaneously inscrutable and disturbed, that works for some of the time but given the supposed chameleon lifestyle of Kuklinski, an actor who can act across a range is really essential, sadly Shannon can only play Shannon. Quite frankly Winona Rider should have stayed at home, and I guess Ray Liotta was just doing a friend a favour as he clearly has no interest in his part.Save your money for a better film.

First saw part of this on T.V. with a nuisance person in the bottom corner doing the signing.. Distracting, so gave up and bought the DVD after some research.Only knew the actor from Boardwalk Empire. He got it spot on, having watched the Kuklinski interviews since. In fact, his performance as the ice cold hit-man/loving family man was almost more unsettling than the man himself.Well worth the money.It is a "Gangster" film but don't expect Goodfellas..this one just might make you look over your shoulder when out at night. After all, he killed one man, a total stranger, with a crossbow, just to see if it would work. (Not sure if that is in the DVD or the interview/s DVD, but that is what we are dealing with). Excellent but scary stuff. Brilliant casting.

This is based on the true story of Richard Kuklinski,aka... The Iceman.I knew about Kuklinski from a documentary made abouthim before this film. The real Kuklinski, was as chilling inreal life, as Michael Shannon portraits him, a cold bloodedkiller, and this movie only touches the surface on how manypeople he killed (over 100!).Kuklinski was a hitman for Roy DeMeo and the Gemini crew,who in turn, were part of the Gambino family. The Gemini Crewwere a homicide machine, and they had a method of disposingof their victims, that would put any serial killer to shame. Makeno mistake, there is honor amongst thieves here, these menwere psychotic animals, and the most coldblooded of them allwas Richard Kuklinski.This isn't a Goodfellas cheap rip-off in style and pace, but a solidstory of the very, very ugly side of the American Mafia.

This film, its story, it's veseral and devastating human cost, is very hard going. Extremely well produced and well acted through with brilliant performances by all.Based on the intense life and events of a real hitman, this dramatic film follows the accounts given by the accused, via both the biographical book and documentary makers.The heart wrenching final moments show how surreal the double life that was being lived and how utterly destructive the consequences are to himself and the only people he cared about; his own family.A brilliant but harsh movie.

I was very disappointed with this film. I've read the book about Kuklinski and seen videos of him being interviewed. The film does not portray him well at all.The film makes him look like he was 'pushed' around by the people he worked for, not a good depiction at all. He also had 3 children, his son is never mentioned in the film. If film makers are going to create a film of someone's life make it accurate.