Between 1948 and 1986, New Jersey
Mafia hitman Richard Kuklinski is said to have killed somewhere between one
hundred and two hundred and fifty men. Having committed his first murder when
in his middle teens, Kuklinski eventually gravitated towards the world of
organised crime and for several decades worked as a contract killer for the
DeCavalcante crime family based in Newark,
New Jersey. He did all of this
while posing to his family as a successful currency broker. The Iceman is Israeli director Ariel
Vromen’s biopic thriller of the ice cold killer, based on interviews with the
man himself. It stars an in form (when is he not?) Michael Shannon in the lead
role.
The Iceman is a film that I’ve been hotly anticipating for some
time. I have an interest in the history of the Cosa Nostra and find that it
often forms the basis of excellent movies. Although this is an above average
film and features several great moments, it won’t go down with the likes of The Godfather, GoodFellas or even Donnie
Brasco in the annals of the great mafia movies. I expect there will be many
comparisons drawn to Martin Scorsese’s masterpiece of the genre in particular
but unfortunately, despite a fantastic basis for a story, the film is like a
skimming stone. It skips along the surface without delving into the murky deep
beneath the surface.
The movie isn’t very plot driven
and works much better as a character study. The plot generally revolves around
the central character’s lust for financial security and insatiable appetite for
violence. The love for his family also runs deeply through the film from
beginning to end and forms the basis for some of his actions. Even with these
three facets, I never felt as though I got to know the man or his world. The
thirty years or so that the film takes in often flies by far too quickly and it
feels as though important events are rushed through or missed out altogether.
What keeps the film ticking over is the highly skilled direction and
cinematography and a spell binding central performance from Michael Shannon.
When I got home I was
disappointed and a little shocked to discover that the film was shot on
location in Detroit, Michigan
and Shreveport, Louisiana. While watching it I didn’t think
for one minute that the movie had been filmed outside of the New York-New
Jersey area as the detail was spot on. In one scene in particular, when
Kuklinski carries out his initiation with Ray Liotta’s Roy DeMeo I actually
thought about the logistics behind shutting down a small portion of Lower Manhattan for filming the scene and how it must
have taken time to remove all of the modern street furniture. Perhaps this not
only speaks to how closely the scene resembled Manhattan but also to how invested I was in
the story. I don’t recall thinking about filming logistics in The Godfather.
As well as excellent location
recreation, which includes an under construction World Trade Centre in one
scene, the film is also notable for its fantastic costume work. The period
clothes looks great in both their accuracy and their visual appeal. As
Kuklinski kills more and more people, his and his family’s wardrobe becomes
much more stylish and he becomes ever more dapper. The cars and houses also
show a visible increase in wealth. Something which I wondered about while
watching was how the real man’s wife didn’t know that something fishy was
happening. For all his money and prestige, he rarely discussed his cover job.
I’d personally find this very strange but it’s either something that Mrs.
Kuklinski failed to pick up on or purposely ignored.
The casting of The Iceman is near perfect but there is
one exception. Through no fault of his own, David Schwimmer is impossible to
take seriously in a role like the one he is cast in here. Throughout the film I
watched intensely with a slight furrowed brow but whenever Schwimmer appeared,
he raised a smile on my face. Just the sight of him, especially with the comedy
moustache reminiscent of the same one from the Friends home videos episodes, was enough to make me giggle. I feel
a little sorry for the actor because he doesn’t do much wrong in the role but
because of his success elsewhere I just can’t take him seriously here.
The rest of the cast excel and
are lead superbly by Michael Shannon who is quietly becoming one of the best
actors working in Hollywood
today. To look into his eyes is to be met with the same weight and force of a
late summer thunderstorm. You can feel the heat and pressure behind his intense
glare. It sometimes feels as though if he were to look up, he could will the
rain down from the clouds. It’s rare to find an actor deliver so frequently as Shannon and this performance is amongst his best. He
carries the film on his broad shoulders and embodies the icy mentality needed
to play the character. He is unflinching in the murder scenes and barely bats
and eyelid when confronted with a gun to the head. The pent up anger and malice
that occasionally burst from within him is terrifying.
Alongside Shannon
is a back on form Ray Liotta. Since GoodFellas
it could be argued that Liotta has somewhat wandered in the movie wilderness
but he is back on solid and familiar ground here. He shows both the danger and
tenderness which you come to associate with his character and it’s nice to see
him in this sort of movie again. Chris Evans is unrecognisable for all but one
of his scenes. I saw his name in the opening credits and kept wondering when
he’d show up only to find out that he’d been on screen all along without
realising it was him. This performance is one of the best I’ve seen him give so
far. Winona Ryder plays her part in a coy and cute manner early on, getting
stronger and more forceful as the years of living with someone like Kuklinski
take their toll. John Ventimiglia is superb in a small role and Stephen Dorff
and James Franco have decent cameos. Young McKaley Miller also looks like a
ready made star.
The film is pretty violent and
doesn’t shy away from showing what Kuklinski did with his life. The violence
doesn’t often linger though and it comes in short, sharp bursts. The movie in
general is fairly fast paced but it slows occasionally. I found the slower
sections more to my liking but it mixes up the pacing effectively. The movie also looks great. It has a slight greenish-blue hue to it which works well and interiors are nicely dark and smoky. For me the
main problem with the film is that a two hour movie just isn’t enough time to
study the life and psyche of a man like Richard Kuklinski. He is far too
interesting to cram into two hours and as I said earlier, this means that the
film barely scratches the surface. It’s almost like the introductory overview
to the character and I was yearning for something more substantial to get my
teeth into. Despite its flaws though, The
Iceman is a gritty, well made Mafia thriller which features some skilled
film making prowess and an award contending central performance.
7.5/10
GFR 6/10
Titbits
- James Franco was originally cast in Chris Evans' roll and Benicio Del Toro was replaced by Ray Liotta. Maggy Gyllenhaal dropped out due to pregnancy.
- The film has a body count of 15.
- The movie had its premier at The Venice Film Festival.
I skim read this as its one of my most anticipated this year. Just wanted to see your score. Not too shabby. I loved the book, and obviously this genre is my favourite so glad you liked it at least, bodes well! :)
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't quite as good as I'd have hoped but it's pretty good. Hope you enjoy it.
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