The Iceman (2012) Directed by Ariel Vromen, 4th June

Plot

A biopic on Richard Kuklinski, a sociopath,  contract killer and family man working for the Mafia who managed to keep this a secret from his family until his arrest. The film follows his life from 1964 to his capture in 1986.

Review

The film opens with a coffee date scene with Richard Kuklinski (Michael Shannon) and his future wife Deborah (Winona Ryder) showing an awkward Kuklinski. A man of few words but someone who knows what they want. From this premise the film could have gone in a direction of a rom com of a bumbling nice guy who goes on a series of inappropriate dates to eventually find his one true love but this being a biopic takes the opposite. Going in a dark direction and descending quickly into a blood bath of people being whacked.

From 1964 we see how he is selected to be a hitman and also how he is able to separate this from his family life. Where in the film he is portrayed as the silent but strong patriarch who dotes on his wife and daughters. As the years go by we see the rise of him and as he becomes more successful he covers his success by claiming to be a currency trader. All the while he is trying to find one last hit and set himself up in Atlantic city with his family but for one reason or another he is always pulled back in and needing just one more hit to leave.

Michael Shannon gives a stunning measured performance of nothingness or coldness. A man at ease with himself where no hit is too gruesome or violet where at one moment he is ultraviolet and next he is the loving husband and father. Shannon portays Kuklinski in a very matter of fact way and it is hard to be sympathetic to his character. Winona Ryder plays the loving, submissive wife and homemaker who wants for nothing as everything is provided by her knowing husband. There is a great supporting cast especially Chris Evans playing a rival hitman and against type for a change.  Steven Dorff also does a good small cameo as Kukliski's younger brother. James Franco also makes an appearance. Whilst Ray Liotta gives his usual solid performance as a Mafiosa hood.

The look of the film is superb and captures the mood and era brilliantly. As we see the years roll by we see the inevitable change in clothes and hairstyles.

The film presents the events in  Kuklinski's life in a very matter of fact manner as things happen. Allowing the viewer to decide on the events.  This leads to little real drama to the film even when things start to spiral out of control in Kuklinski's life.

Due to the way the film is told it is hard to have any real empathy or sympathy for Kuklinski. During the film, it hints at an abusive childhood and the film glosses over that he only became a hitman to support his family to make the character more sympathetic. This really insults the intelligence of the audience.

This film is definitely very watchable but the real treat is in watching Shannon's performance. Every time he is on screen you just have to pay attention.

7/10