Writer/Director Jonathan Hensleigh tells a chilling tale – literally and figuratively – as a group of minors are trapped after an explosion in the frigid US/Canada border region. The film opens with a definition of an Ice Road – a strip of runway that crosses a frozen body of water. Traversing an ice road is said to be perilous, highly risky, and something only a crazy person would do. Enter trucker Mike McCann.
Liam Neeson is the Goat
Liam Neeson is one of my all-time favorite actors. I’ve said before I would watch him order toast in a diner, so I’m down for his barrage of ridiculous action movies that he (thankfully) continues to make. Neeson fits any role he takes. As Mike McCann, he’s a grisly sort dressed in a flannel with a toothpick dangling from his lips and I buy it fully.
Mike McCann is basically any character Liam Neeson has portrayed of late. This time he drives trucks and cares for his mentally challenged brother Gurty (Marcus Thomas). An early scene shows a group of adults picking on Gurty in a cartoonish way, and Mike defends his brother Liam style and loses his job in the process.
“The Ice Road” is fun to watch as a typical action movie. At 1:48 it’s a touch too long and the mayhem tends to get repetitive. Fellow trucker Tantoo (Amber Midthunder) is sprung from jail to assist with the rescue. A company man (Benjamin Walker) may or may not be up to no good. Even Laurence Fishburne makes an appearance, further illustrating the staying power of Netflix as a legit source of top tier films.
Better Development
Tantoo is a Native American who holds resentment for modern progress and things that infringe on her people. This facet would have been better suited if fully developed, however its only lightly glossed over. Likewise, Gurty McCann is a veteran who is suffering from mental issues that keep him from working. Another area that should have been explored more, considering the length of the film and the repeating of action sequences too often.
The setting looks uncomfortably cold. Icy roads with a snow-covered backdrop. Some cool effects show how dangerous the conditions are as trucks are swallowed whole by the water they are driving across. A chase sequence at one-point channels the epic chase in “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” It brings new meaning to Netflix and chill.
And how could I forget actor Matt McCoy who plays a smarmy corporate executive. Seinfeld fans will instantly recognize McCoy for the character of Lloyd Braun who he played on the series.
“The Ice Road” isn’t great. It’s not bad. It’s a movie that anyone can enjoy once, and will never revisit. Though I did pump my fist in celebration when I discovered they are already filming a sequel.
“The Ice Road” can only be streamed on Netflix.
