The Iceman

2013 "Loving husband. Devoted father. Ruthless killer."
6.8| 1h45m| R| en
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The true story of Richard Kuklinski, the notorious contract killer and family man.

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PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.
Aiden Melton The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
sddavis63 I was completely unfamiliar with the story of Richard Kuklinski, but was attracted to the movie by the compelling true story that served as the description of the movie. In "The Iceman, we're given a look at Kuklinski's life. Played here by Michael Shannon, Kuklinksi was an ice cold (thus, along with freezing his victims, his nickname and the name of the film) contract killer who over the course of his life murdered perhaps as many as 200 people - possibly even more. The movie gives us a taste of his "career" as a serial killer, along with a look at his home life with his wife (played by Winona Ryder) and two daughters. The most interesting part of the movie (and the real story of his life) is the way he essentially compartmentalized the two parts of his life, to the extent that his family (while they may have had some suspicions that he was involved in crime) never knew that he was a contract killer. It was interesting watching that aspect of his life, interspersed with some of his experiences with various mob figures. And I'd say that the performances of both Shannon and Ryder were pretty good. But I felt that the movie itself could have been better; could have accomplished more; could have given us more of a feel for Kuklinski's life. Instead, it seemed rushed and disjointed. There wasn't enough depth given to Kuklinski, and the result was that the movie, while interesting, was also at times confusing. It was hard to make the connections from one scene to the next. Sometimes it seemed as if years had elapsed between scenes. At times, this seemed more like a series of vignettes of Kuklinski's life rather than a well developed account of how he became who he was. I certainly wanted to see it through to the end - there was never any sense that I had wasted my time by watching it. But it wasn't entirely satisfying, either.And having researched a bit about Kuklinski I wondered why they makers of the movie felt the need to take such great liberties with the "family" side of the story. I can understand why they would change the names of his wife and daughters - but a lot was off in the timing. I do't remember any mention of him having been married before. In the movie there were only two daughters - but there was also a son. And the movie strangely claimed that after he was finally arrested and sent to prison, he never saw his family again - which wasn't true. There were phone calls, and there were some visits (and in fact his wife and one daughter visited him in the prison hospital shortly before he died.) Was there a feeling that the made up story would make this a more interesting movie? It didn't. Once I found out the truth, it just seemed like a strange decision.It was a decent movie, and it inspired me to want to find out more about Kuklinski's story. So it deserves some credit for that. (6/10)
cinemajesty Film Review: "The Iceman" (2012)Finding the essence of a real-life contract killer by restraining breath work and fixed eyeballs on any given scene opponent, actor Michael Shannon owns this picture, benefiting from an precise and strictly forwarding directions by Ariel Vromen, who hardly could improve this already streamlining picture with his mixed follow-up project "Criminal" (2016) before turning to an novel adaptation on the character of Egyptian Spy Ashraf Marwan (1944-2007) for his new project "The Angel" (2018)."The Iceman" could have been the classic for the time being. Actor Michael Shannon carries nearly every scene as the character of Richard Kuklinski in this picture, when encountering one-by-one the supporting cast, starting out from actress Winona Ryder as his wife Deborah in a charming introduction scene at a dinner, followed by meeting the employing character of Roy Demeo, performed in "GoodFellas" recalling mode by Ray Liotta, the one character, who's resolution gets dropped by the end, while every one else, including actor Chris Evans as welcoming beyond Captain America character of Mr. Freezy and a one scene appearance by actor James Franco of minor significance as struggling advantage-looking artist Marty Freeman, had been sent a bill by Michael Shannon's dominating acting appearance.Director Ariel Vromen made sure that the cinematography under Bobby Bukowski keeps afloat at all times, finding the most engaging angles with atmospheric lighting shifts in a film, which elegantly covers time periods from 1964 to 1986 within a compact running time of 100 Minutes (excluding the end crawler) makes "The Iceman" highly recommended to an audience appreciating power house acting, constant thrills and a 10 Million $ production budget well-spent under watchful surveillance of industry's producing specialist Avi Lerner, having giving space for a motion picture product, which does not need to shy away from a comparison of crime thriller genre-owning directors as Martin Scorsese.© 2017 Felix Alexander Dausend (Cinemajesty Entertainments LLC)
rusoviet This was a good study on what makes the north east fascinating to the rest of America. The reality of New York City is far different than what is shown on new Year's Eve or a film shot on Park Avenue. It is surrounded by decay and poorly built residences. I mention that because what citizens of NYC and its environs tolerate as 'ok' places to eat i.e. diners are in most instances, 'dark, greasy, dusty and old.This is relevant because the scenes throughout the film are similar to "A Most Violent Year" - this film is a solid move away from the nostalgia of 'Goodfellas' or the first two Godfather films.The protagonist Kuklinski is also a result of these dead ends - of bad decisions etc. but also the culture that is 'there'. I totally enjoyed the film - it is well acted and a great performance by Michael Shannon.Non-New Yorkers enjoy the thrill of the: accents used, violence, ethnic culture etc. Finally regardless of 'stake in the game', NYC is slowly dying out while not aware of it. This film will not be the same a mere decade or two moving forward - the future is the demographics of LA.
Johan Dondokambey The story nicely balances between the depictions of the ruthlessness of the contract killer Richie and the loving husband and father of two Richie. The two sides of the characters are nicely given equal portions of screen time and detail depth. Those depictions get even better with adequate support from experienced actors and actresses acting on them. I like to see the fact that only Michael Shannon's Richie, as the central character is actually the one character who links Chris Evans' character Frezzy and Winona Ryder's Deborah, while Chris and Winona don't even get to do a scene together. On the acting side I think Michael Shannon's performance here is one of his best. He did enough in surfacing all the characters emotions while keeping the character's calm and cool as a killer. I am quite amazed at how Chris Evans swerves his schedules in and out of movie shoots, from The Avengers, to Snowpiercer, and to this movie, all with significant roles.