Starring: Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, Ray Liotta
On the surface, Richie Kuklinski (Shannon) is a fairly
ordinary guy. Living a life in suburbia with his wife (Ryder) and two children
(McKaley Miller, Megan Sherrill) but unbeknownst to them, Richie works for the
mob as a vicious contract killer; however, when he decides to work with new
partner (Chris Evans), Richie’s double lives begin to converge.
During his lifetime, it’s estimated that Richie Kuklinski
killed around 100 people. So understandably, this film about his life is a
little on the violent side. It’s pretty clear where The Iceman got its
influences from as the film shares a similar tone and, in some aspects, setup
as GoodFellas (1990) (a comparison aided by the supporting role of GoodFellas
lead, Ray Liotta) but is by no means an equal to the Scorsese classic. With
Michael Shannon in the lead, you get a physical presence of sheer brutal
violence, but trying to project a character onto that, and one that the
audience has to spend the runtime of the film with as a protagonist is a steep
challenge and one that doesn’t exactly succeed. However, the film looks great
and is engaging and well-handled with an interesting cast (including a rather
unexpected turn by David Schwimmer). The film wants to make an impact, and
does, but it won’t leave a mark.
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