The Ice Harvest (2005)

Excellent adaptation.

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

I saw this movie for the first time on cable, with absolutely no expectations going in, as I had not even heard of it before watching it the first time. One of Harold Ramis' better efforts as a director, with understated performances by Billy Bob Thornton, John Cusack, and Connie Nielsen, all working off a script by Oscar winner Robert Benton and Emmy nominee Richard Russo. John Cusack stars as Charlie Arglist, a morally compromised lawyer who has joined with strip club owner Vic Cavenaugh (Billy Bob Thornton) to steal 2 million dollars from a local mob boss, and black comedy hilarity ensues. Connie Nielsen is ice-cold Renata, and Oliver Platt adds much needed comic relief as Charlie's hapless sidekick, the current husband of Charlie's ex wife. The shady lawyer, icy-cold love interest, and the mob-boss antagonist are all tired tropes, but somehow, the characters work in spite of that. Carpentersvillle, Illinois stands in for Wichita, on Christmas eve, and the frozen scenery is palpably cold. It's not a 10/10 outing, but it's far smarter than many others, and if you like dark humor and noir thrillers, this one has much going for it. Solit 7.5 out of ten, I'll round up to eight stars because I was pleasantly surprised. On a side note, Charlie says at one point "As Wichita falls, so falls Wichita Falls", which is a misquote of a 1980s Pat Metheny album "As falls Wichita, ,so falls Wichita Falls"

When two low level mafia members are frustrated with their roles, they come up with a plan to steal two million dollars from their boss. Everything goes off without a hitch, and now, they just have to wait one night before they can get out of town and move on to a new life, but things are never that simple. The Ice Harvest was an interesting film, with a great cast, and had they been able to pull off what they were attempting to do, it would have been a classic. Producers decided to make this film a modern day, 1930's type noir film, but at the same time, they wanted to mock how cheesy and over the top these films could be. It was a great idea, but it didn't work because the mocking wasn't subtle. In fact, the film takes it so far, that it becomes exactly what they were trying to make fun of in the first place. John Cusack stars and he can make any film better. This guy can play anyone and is always amazing, I just can't understand why he doesn't take on bigger roles. Here he's paired with Billy Bob Thornton, who under the right circumstances, can be hilarious. While he was pretty funny, he has almost no chemistry with Cusack and that hurt the film. These guys were partners, but on completely opposite pages and it just doesn't work. The Ice Harvest was an interesting story and I wish they had been able to pull off what they were attempting to do, but very quickly the film becomes a farce of itself, brutally predictable, and simply a waste of time.

The Ice Harvest (2005)Okay, someone tell me why this movie is worth watching. For the almost flashy sets and groovy lighting? For the couple of great actors in less than stellar performances? For the gaudy violence that is neither plasticky like Tarantino nor hyper-real like Scorsese? All this stuff is here. And if you give a hoot about who kills who, and can keep track of why, then you might think this is passable. It's meant to be a black comedy, but that requires timing and wit, both missing here. It's kind of a Christmas movie, but only incidentally.It starts slow, and then keeps going slow (as you think to yourself it'll pick up soon), then it does pick up with casual murder after casual murder. You don't really worry about who dies or that it's so brutal. Who cares? The main character played by John Cusack is typical Cusack and maybe you'll like him (the actor), but his character is a bore and you don't really care that he's about to get whacked, or almost whacked, in scene after scene. And Billy Bob? Also disappointing (and more of a surprise because he's a great actor).Yeah, I hated this movie. First it made me sleepy (literally) and then it made me bored (but not sleepy just because there was so much fabulous violence).The director here, Harold Ramis, has some dazzling successes to his credit, including "Groundhog Day" and "Caddyshack." The writers are to blame here as well, but one of the screenwriters has a long admirable history, too, going back to "Bonnie and Clyde." So what gives? Bad luck? Lack of money? Conflict of personalities? Who knows!But the sensibility is just out of touch here. I would avoid this one by a mile.

Harold Ramis ("Groundhog Day") directing an dark humor film written by Richard Russo and Robert Benton ("Kramer vs. Kramer"), starring John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton? Really? "The Ice Harvest" sounds like an unusual gathering of talents but it perfectly works. The movie starts with Cusack's character, Charlie, an lawyer committing the perfect crime stealing millions of dollar along with his partner Vic (Thornton) during Christmas Eve. But for some reason they can't leave town to avoid people's suspicion, since everybody knows them, so they decide to stay in Wichita until things get easier for them to get out. Until such thing happen, Charlie will have to deal with an bizarre amount of problems such as follow along a drunk friend (hilariously played by Oliver Platt) who keep causing more and more trouble in all the places they go; help an old flame of his (Connie Nielsen), who's having some problems with an politician; smile to an persistent and annoying cop every time he appears on his front, suspicion of everything he does; and running away from a hit-man (Mike Starr) who's looking for him and Vic.Basically, it's a movie with Cusack trying to solve problems before putting his hands on the money and get out of Wichita. Until there, there's plenty room for funny and twisted moments, some dangerous as well and the repetitive "As Wichita falls so falls Wichita falls" quote, whatever that means. It seems at times the film is going nowhere with some humored situations here and there but when it moves to an darker film it gets really fun to watch. Best parts includes all the scenes Oliver Platt's in (specially seeing him being dragged out of the bar, or when he presents Charlie as being an Mafia lawyer, trying to threat an guy who was bothering him: "M.O.B. Mob!") and Billy Bob furious attack to the trunk where he put the hit-man trying to making him quiet (that was hysterical!). And this couldn't go on without Ned Bellamy playing Sidney the nervous bar patron, friend of Charlie, and his rants, threatening to break people's fingers when they mess with his girls. Not the perfect script but who cares? It's just fun and fun again and well made by the way. Simply one of the best Christmas films I've ever seen. 9/10