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The Iceman Play Trailer Get Showtimes

The Iceman (2013)

tomatometer

67

Average Rating: 6.2/10
Reviews Counted: 45
Fresh: 30 | Rotten: 15

While it deserved stronger direction and a more fully realized script, Michael Shannon's riveting performance in the title role is more than enough to make The Iceman recommended viewing.

63

Average Rating: 6.2/10
Critic Reviews: 16
Fresh: 10 | Rotten: 6

While it deserved stronger direction and a more fully realized script, Michael Shannon's riveting performance in the title role is more than enough to make The Iceman recommended viewing.

audience

73

liked it
Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 8,290

My Rating

Movie Info

Inspired by actual events, The Iceman follows notorious contract killer Richard Kuklinski (Academy Award (R) nominee Michael Shannon) from his early days in the mob until his arrest for the murder of more than 100 men. Appearing to be living the American dream as a devoted husband and father; in reality Kuklinski was a ruthless killer-for-hire. When finally arrested in 1986, neither his wife nor daughters have any clue about his real profession.(c) Millennium

R,

Mystery & Suspense, Drama

$87.9k

Millennium Entertainment - Official Site External Icon

Cast

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All Critics (45) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (30) | Rotten (15)

The Iceman offers a chronological view into the life of its title protagonist... and what a life it is.

May 5, 2013 Full Review Source: ReelViews
ReelViews
Top Critic IconTop Critic

There's not much style here, beyond the uniformly good acting, and even less of a point.

May 3, 2013 Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger
Newark Star-Ledger
Top Critic IconTop Critic

"The Iceman's" problem rests instead with the script, which the director wrote with Morgan Land, his collaborator on the "Rx" screenplay. It never gets underneath Kuklinski's skin in a way that illuminates the psychosis.

May 2, 2013 Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Michael Shannon's mesmerizing portrayal of Richard Kuklinski, a notorious contract killer, has the paradoxical quality, peculiar to many great screen performances, of being unreadable and transparent.

May 2, 2013 Full Review Source: New York Times
New York Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Shannon inhabits this character so completely that by the end of this hard-to-watch, hard-to-look-away-from movie you feel you can, if not understand Richie, at least wish he had found some redemption in life.

May 2, 2013 Full Review Source: Slate
Slate
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Shannon is brilliantly unnerving as he callously dispenses with people, then returns home to maintain his façade of a loving husband and father.

May 2, 2013 Full Review Source: USA Today
USA Today
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The film is at its best when it navigates the contradiction at the heart of this man, generating interest and tension as it parallels his home life with his profession.

May 5, 2013 Full Review Source: amNewYork
amNewYork

Imperfect perhaps, but ultimately undeniable.

May 3, 2013 Full Review Source: Mania.com
Mania.com

The script is so straight-ahead, and Shannon's performance is so forceful, that The Iceman doesn't offer any real insight into this monster, but if you just want to glimpse a character capable of genuine evil, it's effectively chilling.

May 3, 2013 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Michael Shannon's clenched jaw finds its ideal role in Ariel Vromen's taut hit-man saga "The Iceman."

May 3, 2013 Full Review Source: Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News

It's never a painful watch, more of a faintly dull, seen-it-all-before one. If nothing else, it's evidence that these days, being based on a true story isn't enough to elevate a film in a well-worn genre ahead of the pack.

May 3, 2013 Full Review Source: The Playlist
The Playlist

The film is well made and holds interest, but I deplore the delicate treatment and the shading of truth of this despicable beast. Watching Vroman's take, one almost feels sympathy for him.

May 2, 2013 Full Review Source: Tolucan Times
Tolucan Times

[A]n oft-told tale, though one that does come alive in a few places that make it worth a look. The always electrifying Michael Shannon... enjoys what may be the fullest expression of his smoldering onscreen rage yet.

May 2, 2013 Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher
Flick Filosopher

Vromen's period detail-slathered film (read: much unfortunate facial hair) exhausts itself trying to jam in as many cliches as possible.

May 2, 2013 Full Review Source: Film Racket
Film Racket

Alternating scenes of the psycho-as-family-man with an increasingly grisly and desperate series of hits, it makes for a surprisingly monotonous sit for a movie that also features a killer named Mr. Freezy.

May 2, 2013 Full Review Source: AV Club
AV Club

The Iceman is a tense dramatic thriller presenting a grim - yet seemingly more picturesque - portrayal of a cold and calculated killer, a role that is tailor made for the ferociously intense Michael Shannon.

May 1, 2013 Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

Audience Reviews for The Iceman

Effective but one-dimensional docudrama about the notorious hitman Richard Kuklinski who went to prison in 1986 and died in 2006. Michael Shannon's performance is impressively intense but rather simple.
May 4, 2013
Bill D 2007
William Dunmyer

Super Reviewer

The Iceman proves itself to be a worthy contender in the category of modern day thrillers, especially due to its artistic flair. The cool tones that wrap this movie up, ranging from olive greens, steel blues and autumn leaf browns, leave a warm sensation around the main character, Richard Kuklinski, who is anything but. Many thrillers try to be a little too slick both in story telling, editing and even cinematography, so it feels too artificial. The Iceman, however, feels like there was a lot of hard work put into it, and through that it feels much more humanistic. I was reminded a lot of Road To Perdition, actually, with The Iceman's pastel colours and well placed shots. Ariel Vromen successfully takes you back to a few decades ago with ease, and it wasn't just because of the feel of the movie.

The acting for the most part ranged from good to phenomenal, and the latter is mostly in part due to Michael Shannon's unflinching performance as an explosive serial killer who cares about very little in life. If anything, the movie is worth seeing just for him, but thankfully there is more to the movie than him. However, make no mistake, Michael Shannon is slowly paving his way to become one of the more important actors of our time, and with The Iceman, he channels the great mob movies of the past through minimalism and necessary explosion. Many actors could have failed to achieve the sense of feeling emotionless through nothing more than under acting or even not acting at all, but Shannon proves that you can always pick up something no matter what character you play. Most of the other actors do a good job as well, ranging from Winona Ryder's great attempt to slowly sneak her way back into the hearts of critics and movie goers, Ray Liotta doing what he does best and being an intimidating jerk with an iron fist, and a surprisingly great performance by Chris Evans who may not have stepped so far outside of his usual self until now.

The directing for the most part was outstanding, as almost every mood and emotion used was the right one, and almost every line spoken, no matter by whom, was spoken with the right accent, the right tone and the right feel. The movie had a nice, consistent tone that shimmered at all times, reminding us just what kind of a movie The Iceman truly is. Like Kuklinski and those he works with, however, the film, surprisingly with a lot of heart put into it, may have had a bit too much heart at times.

What I mean by this is that, while it is fantastic that a thriller is based so heavily on emotions and on a well paced feeling throughout, it may be based on it a bit too much. It ends a bit too quickly than it should, as if it couldn't hang onto itself and simply said "You want what you waited for? Here!", something the main character may have done with his short temper. Instead of lagging out the scenes, a few more flash backs could have been placed to keep it a relevant theme and to help the film stay on course just a little bit more. You only see one five second glimpse at Kuklinski's child hood, and while we got the message instantly just through this, maybe a little more insight could have helped the film a bit more. We're told and barely shown why Kuklinski is so lifeless, but a little bit more information could have made the climax of the film instantly more heart pounding.

Also, despite him trying his hardest and somehow not doing a bad job, it is just really awkward seeing David Schwimmer in this kind of a film. A number of us would laugh in the film every time he was even on screen just because of how out of place he seemed. Definitely a bizarre casting choice, and because the film had its own really smart and quick comic relief, particularly done by Kuklinski, even if Schwimmer was just there to lighten the mood just by sitting there, he wasn't needed. Still, he tried his hardest and still did an alright job, but it's still noteworthy when someone or something takes you out of the film in a bad way.

Overall, The Iceman is a pretty good thriller. It may not rank amongst the best of the best in its genre, but it does well as a modern day thriller thanks to its believability (for the most part) and its attention to detail. Had it had a little bit of patience with itself and let Shannon do all of the short tempered exploding rather than itself, the film may have escalated itself to the grande film it set out to be. While I wouldn't say it falls short or end abruptly, it just needed some fine tuning here and there. Shannon's performance is not to be missed, however, even until the very second where the movie is given a last minute second wind right at its final seconds, reminding you that, hey, acting can be so powerful that you may feel sympathetic for a guy who has boasted about killing over a hundred people. The Iceman should be seen for Shannon, for Ryder and Liotta finally having biggish roles that are well done, for Evans breaking out of his shell, and for a look into Vromen's possible future as an auteur film maker.

Final Rating: 7.7/10
September 11, 2012
anDy
Andreas Babs

Super Reviewer

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Discussion Forum

Topic Last Post Replies
The Iceman made a decent debut... 2 days ago 0
Guess they don't care about resemblance 4 days ago 5
Winona Ryder 10 days ago 1
Have they begun showing any Iceman trailers in theatres yet? 10 days ago 4
Critics don't know their mob history very well 11 days ago 0

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April 29, 2013:
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