The Ice Harvest (2005)

While I was never bored by this film, ultimately it failed to come together in any kind of a compelling fashion. Basically, it's a heist comedy with some really rough dialog and violence added in to make the whole thing seem important or heavy. Despite all the blood and so forth, it ends up being a rather silly buddy comedy. John Cusack fails to give a performance that would generate any great interest or sympathy, and Oliver Platt gives a performance that is awful, studied, and unfunny, pretty much ruining any chance of the film being particularly good. The writing is enough to betray Lara Phillips and Billy Bob Thornton (who seems to do every caper film these days, good or bad) without any help from the actors, because their characters are completely predictable.

I have little else to say here about it. I would have rated it even lower, but I really enjoyed the brief scene with Randy Quaid as a menacing mobster who feels like a loser. He had more character in that 5 minute scene than anybody else in the movie did with much more time. This movie really offers no surprises, and would probably only please someone who had very little experience with caper films. It's like the sickly cousin of "Fargo." Avoid it unless you are a John Cusack completist.

Fmovies: Maybe this really isn't a 9 out of 10, but at the moment I'm just really enjoying The Ice Harvest. I saw it for a second time, and enjoyed it more, once I knew what to expect. I can't think of as inaccurately marketed a movie in recent years. The trailers and posters made it looked like a caper comedy, and the quotes made it sound like this year's "Bad Santa." It's neither. As others here have said, it's a straight noir. Sure, there are some hilarious moments, but the film is not a comedy. It's dark, slow, and character driven, with John Cusack exhibiting his very best wry understatement. It's his core of sweetness -- never overtly revealed, but always present -- set against the oppressive bleakness of a rainy Christmas eve in and around Wichita strip clubs and the sordid characters who meander in and out of them, that keeps the film in balance. Connie Nielsen, Billy Bob Thornton, Randy Quaid, and Oliver Platt all turn in perfectly tuned performances, but Cusack, with his low-key, mesmerizing timing, is the center.

Anyway, if you're looking for a fast-moving comedy, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a black, mostly unredeeming movie with great performances and bone-dry wit, The Ice Harvest might be for you.

I just returned from viewing "The Ice Harvest" at a dollar movie theater, and I have to say it is one of the best movies I have seen this year. John Cusak and Billy Bob Thorton are perfect together. The film relies on slapstick comedy to deliver the laughs as opposed to lame quirky one liners which plague so many comedy movies today. Oliver Platt provides most of the comic relief, and it is great to see Randy Quaid in a new movie. The film is a perfect stab at the film noir genre. I recommend this movie to anyone who likes any of the actors, or just want a nice late night movie. More than likely, you will walk away satisfied.

The Ice Harvest fmovies. I also saw this film at the Virginia Film Festival, but I must disagree with the other fellow who wrote it up. I loved it. I'm not a huge Cusack fan, but I have to say he does a great job carrying this small, gritty, character-driven film. And I thought Oliver Platt was great throughout. It's a terrific script, too, co-written by none other than Robert Benton. Kudos to Harold Ramis for having the guts to make this indie film! Is it commercial? Is it going to make a lot at the B.O.? No, it's not. It's another WONDER BOYS. It's another BIG LEBOWSKI. It's another CUTTER'S WAY. It's another NOBODY'S FOOL. Won't make money, but who cares... It was a delight to watch and I'm sure I'll see it again on a big screen and own it on DVD.

When the name Harold Ramis is mentioned, a lot of people will probably say "Harold who?". When explained to those people that he directed the wonderful romantic comedy GROUNDHOG DAY and wrote the screenplays for GHOSTBUSTERS I & II, they'll probably say "Oooh, that Harold!". After the redundant De Niro-wrecks ANALYZE THIS & THAT it got a little quiet around Ramis. Now he's back with THE ICE HARVEST, a movie that somewhat differs from his other work. It's been a while since I've seen such a successful mixture of black comedy and film-noir/thriller.

Charlie (John Cusack), a Kansas attorney on the verge of a burn-out, and his associate Vic (Billy Bob Thornton) have just stolen 2 million $ from their boss on Christmas Eve. They're planning on leaving that same night to enjoy their money elsewhere. Charlie also is in love with the beautiful stripclub-owner Renata and hopes that his newly earned dollars will make a fine argument to persuade her to go with him. But an upcoming ice storm makes it very difficult to leave the town immediately. On top of that, a mysterious figure has arrived in Wichita informing all over the place about Charlie. It will turn out to be a night full of surprises where everyone seems to be playing dark and deceiving games.

This movie relies on the statement "Money is the root of all evil". It's slightly disturbing to see how far one will go when a considerable amount of money is involved. Maybe not all of the twists and turns in the plot are unpredictable, but there are enough of them to keep it interesting, all this at a fairly high pace. They provide enough enjoyable moments, with the trunk-scene as one of the highlights. This particular scene leads to a funny discussion between Charlie and Vic about a Mercedes and a Lincoln. All this in order to say that the script and dialogues are more than decent.

Cusack and Thornton deliver the goods, never over-acting it. Besides them there's also a striking performance by Connie Nielsen as femme-fatale Renata and I never thought that a completely drunk Oliver Platt, as Charlie's drinking buddy, could be so hilarious. And it was nice to see Mike Starr and Randy Quaid in some smaller roles. So the complete cast pulls it off quite good.

Maybe THE ICE HARVEST (with the appropriate tagline "Thick Thieves. Thin Ice.", by the way) isn't a movie for a wide audience, because of the grim & black humor and the occasional pretty violent outbursts. But it sure is a welcome alternative for mainstream movies and highly recommended for film-noir-fans.

Take the sardonic wit of "Prizzi's Honor" or "Body Heat." Combine with not-too- bright characters working a shady deal for quick riches in a caper that could have been written by Elmore Leonard. That's what you have in "The Ice Harvest," a highly entertaining dark comedy.

It's Christmas Eve during a terrible ice storm in Kansas City. Charlie (John Cusack) and Vic (Billy Bob Thornton) have stolen a bundle from the mob. This could create an awkward situation for Charlie if they don't get out of town fast. He's the lawyer for the local mob boss, Bill (Randy Quaid), who has a terrible temper.

So as not to arouse suspicion, Vic and Charlie go their separate ways early in the evening. Both have family duties and Charlie has other things to take care of. There's the beautiful Renata (Connie Nielson), for one. And Pete (Oliver Platt), who shares part of Charlie's past. Life becomes more complicated as the night goes on and Charlie meets up again with Vic. More twists and surprises follow.

I almost didn't go to this movie, because the teaser for the Austin Film Festival made it look like a Cusack-Thornton buddy movie, and I'm tired of the character Thornton keeps playing. Happily Thornton is not on screen much. This is John Cusack's movie and he has created an interesting, unhappy man looking for a way out. Oliver Platt, who steals every scene he's in, provides comic relief and story exposition.

Director Harold Ramis introduced the film and did a Q&A afterwards. He talked about how the snowstorm in the book became an ice storm because that's the weather they had to work with. He talked about the many ideas Cusack and Platt brought to their characters. New to me was Connie Nielson, originally from Denmark. Ramis said she told him she was channeling Jessica Rabbit in the part of the femme fatale. I think she succeeded. Kudos also to Pulitzer-prize winning author Richard Russo and Robert Benton for a snappy script.