Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Marketic It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

Usamah Harvey The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Vomitron_G "A Passion For Murder" (or "Black Ice", as it is listed on here) is pretty much a neo-noir road-movie, which means it should add up to something like a mystery thriller. But it doesn't. Throughout the film there's no suspense to speak of and the plot is hardly anything intriguing. The film just hums along without many problems, really, and as mentioned before, Michael Nouri, Joanna Pacula & Michael Ironside manage to carry everything just fine with their three leading performances.Nouri plays Ben Shorr, a cab driver/aspiring writer. One night he picks up Vanessa (Joanna Pacula) who's gotten herself into a heap of trouble, demanding that Shorr should drive her all the way from Detroit to Seattle. All this while being chased by the cold-blooded Quinn (Michael Ironside), who has a score of his own to settle with Vanessa.Ms. Pacula brings a lot of sex appeal to the table (and gets very naked early on in the film, during an extended sex scene). Nouri is convincing enough and Ironside is always entertaining as the bad guy. The rest of the supporting cast gives inferior performances. Only Mickey Jones is worth mentioning, as the taxi company owner.In the end, the climax boils down to a very dull shoot-out between the threesome. Something you can predict from the moment their chase begins. People say they're FBI or CIA, wave a badge and all, but in the end, who cares? "A Passion For Murder" is nothing special, but at the end of the ride I can't bring myself to flunk this little movie. It's not a badly made film or anything and it's an okay form of distraction from every day life for 90 minutes long. The main purpose of most pulp fiction, anyway.

Woodyanders Seductive undercover FBI agent Vanessa (well played by the strikingly lovely, sultry, dark-haired knockout Joanna Pacula) is having an affair with an adulterous married up and coming politician. The sleazy politico wants to terminate the relationship. Vanessa and Hiz Honor the scumbag have a fight, which accidentally results in the jerk's untimely demise. Vanessa hires the chatty, gregarious Ben (a solid and charming performance by Michael Nouri), a down on his luck aspiring novelist who just barely ekes out a living as a cab driver, to haul her to Seattle. Vanessa offers Ben five grand and since Ben's up to his eyeballs in debt he gladly obliges. Naturally, there's a serious glitch: Vanessa's shady, ruthless superior Quinn (a typically steely and redoubtable turn by the always commanding Michael Ironside) doggedly pursues the pair with the sole malevolent intent of killing them both.Neill Fearnley's sturdy, capable direction ensures that "Black Ice" is a perfectly enjoyable and entertaining chase thriller. The pacing drags at first, but thankfully picks up speed and momentum once Quinn decides to give chase, with expertly sustained tension and the taut, compelling narrative successfully holding the viewer's interest throughout. Moreover, the chemistry between Pacula and Nouri is warm, funny and appealing, scoring points with some fine, witty dialogue and several cool quirky touches of offbeat humor. Technically, the film's up to par: David Geddes' crisp, smooth cinematography and Amin Bhatia's moody, bluesy, liberally laced with scintillating saxophone score are both quite tasty. Mickey Jones cameos as Nouri's cranky foul-mouthed boss; he gets wasted by Ironside. (Jones and Ironside previously acted together on the short-lived "V" TV series.) Although nothing truly special, this admittedly modest little item still cuts it as a nicely satisfying and proficiently executed diversion.

Claudio Carvalho Ben Shorr (Michael Nouri) is a taxi driver full of debts and aspiring writer. One day, he drives the gorgeous Vanessa (Joanna Pacula), who is the lover of the imminent senator Eric Weaver (Arne Olsen), home. Vanessa and Eric have a serious argument; they fight and she accidentally kills him. Vanessa is indeed an agent from the government, with a mission of get inside information and compromise the future senator with her agency. Quinn (Michel Ironside), a government killer working for the same agency, is in charge of eliminating her. Vanessa hires Ben, trying to go to Seattle and leave USA through her contacts in that area. However Quinn is hunting them down."Black Ice" is not a bad movie, but gives the sensation that something is missing in the screenplay and the ambiguous conclusion. It is a low budget movie, but Joanna Pacula, Michael Nouri and Michael Ironside are great actors and have good performances. Joanna Pacula's character is very beautiful, sexy and erotic. Michael Nouri's character is nasty and is not charismatic; therefore it is very difficult for the viewer identify with Ben as the 'hero' of the plot, who will end the story with the Vanessa. And Michael Ironside performs the role he does better, a maniac killer. The plot has many flaws: for example, there are shootings in many places and no police arrives. In many movies, the police arrive instantaneously, but not in this one. maybe there was no budget to complement of the cast. "Black Ice" would be a good movie with some improvement in the screenplay. But anyway, it entertains, and it is worthwhile seeing Joanna Pacula in some sexy scenes. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "Paixão Assassina" ("Assassin Passion")Note: On 02 January 2016 I saw this film again.

FEF312 Strong performances from Joanna Pacula, Michael Nouri, and Michael Ironside overcome a weak script. Other pluses are the beautifully photographed winter scenery, and the haunting score from Amin Bhatia. There is a lack of suspense in this movie, but the performances of the three leads held my attention.