The Iceman

Cast of Characters:

Richard "The Iceman" Kuklinski - Michael Shannon

Deborah Kuklinski - Winona Ryder

Roy DeMeo - Ray Liotta

Robert "Mr. Freezy" Pronge - Chris Evans

Josh Rosenthal - David Schwimmer

Leonard Marks - Robert Davi

Dino Lapron - Danny A. Abeckaser

Director - Ariel Vromen

Screenplay - Ariel Vromen & Morgan Land

Based on the biography The Iceman: The True Story of a Cold-Blooded Killer by Anthony Bruno

Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language and some sexual content

      Academy Award nominees Michael Shannon and Winona Ryder as well as Ray Liotta and Chris Evans star in the true story account of contract killer Richard Kuklinski in Ariel Vromen's The Iceman. Wait... This isn't about George Gervin?

      Based on a true story, The Iceman begins in the 60's with Richard Kuklinski (Michael Shannon) working as porn film lab tech. Things change when mob boss Roy DeMeo (Ray Liotta) closes down the lab, but offers Richard a job as his contract killer. For years afterward, Richard handles his job well with cold-blooded professionalism. It's not until mob politics forces him out that Richard winds up working independently with Robert "Mr. Freezy" Pronge (Chris Evans).

      Meanwhile, when he's not killing and collecting debts, Richard lives at home with his wife Deborah (Winona Ryder) and their two daughters. Deborah thinks all the money he makes comes from his supposed career in currency exchange as Richard does his best to separate his personal life from his work life. That proves to be easier said than done at times.

      Upon hearing about this film, I was really looking forward to seeing this, but was never given a chance to view it when it was first released. I'm a big Michael Shannon fan, and find him to be one of the most gifted and underrated actors of today. Whether it's playing Kathy Bates's troubled son in Revolutionary Road, Take Shelter, Mud or playing the diabolical General Zod earlier this year in Man of Steel, Shannon always gives 110% no matter how big or small the role. Add on to the fact that I grew up with parents that lived for Court TV and the Crime and Investigation network, so a film with Michael Shannon playing a contract killer known for committing 100 murders is all the more intriguing. Here, Shannon is dead-on as Kuklinski. It's not a flashy performance, save a couple of moments, but like the man he's portraying it's a quietly menacing one that's "cold as ice". Along with Shannon, there are also strong supporting performances from Winona Ryder, Chris Evans and Ray Liotta, who's no stranger to this type of film. Here's the problem. The movie as a whole seems thinly written and doesn't add up to much. Spanning over twenty years, co-writer/director Ariel Vromen jumps through the story's timeline rather loosely and at times it seems he doesn't know how to connect one era to the next. The script (co-written by Morgan Land) also doesn't feel fully realized and ultimately misses out on an opportunity to give us an in-depth look at one of the nation's most notorious contract killers. It's quite a letdown 'cause the talented cast that is present onscreen really do what they can with the material they're given. Sure, we get the two different realities Kuklinski lives in that offer a stark contrast between work and home life. That's always a story element guaranteed to keep my eyes glued to the screen if done right. TV's Breaking Bad has handled it perfectly. However, here, it only skims the surface and doesn't go much deeper than that. What we're left with is a story that slowly plods through its 105 minute run time. Something tells me that with Michael Shannon out of the equation, this film wouldn't be getting the praise it has been getting.

      Michael Shannon and the rest of the cast are all wonderful here, but the direction and the script fall flat. I can justify chalking this up to a rental. The performances certainly merit it, and despite my criticism of the direction and script, there are moments that do grab your attention, particularly when either Ray Liotta and an unrecognizable Chris Evans share the screen with Shannon. That said, there are not enough moments like those, and although I was really looking forward to this, I ended up feeling underwhelmed and ultimately disappointed. I give The Iceman a C+ (★★½).