The Ice Road – Tension Filled Thriller
Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Writer: Jonathan Hensleigh (Screenplay)
Starring: Liam Neeson, Marcus Thomas, Laurence Fishburne, Amber Midthunder, Benjamin Walker, Holt McCallany, Martin Sensmeier, Matt McCoy
Plot: After a remote diamond mine collapses in far northern Canada, a ‘big-rig’ ice road driver must lead an impossible rescue mission over a frozen ocean to save the trapped miners.
Tagline – This mission is on thin ice.
Runtime: 1 Hour 49 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Ice Road starts when a diamond mine suffers a sudden explosion leading to a collapse in North Canada. Needing to rescue the men trapped in the mine requires equipment that need a big rid to transport. Jim Goldenrod (Fishburne) recruits Mike McCann (Neeson) and his brother Gurty (Thomas), along with Tantoo (Midthunder) to drive across the closed ice roads.
The journey is filled with peril, meaning the drivers will have to work together to get out of the situations they find themselves trapped in, while the miners are left to make the difficult decisions as they wait for rescue.
Thoughts on The Ice Road
Characters & Performances – Mike McCann is a big rig driver and carer for his veteran brother, the pair make a perfect team, with Mike finding himself getting into trouble for defending his brother. His dream would be to work as a pair on their own big rig, then find support for his brother, this latest job could offer him that, as he looks to do the right thing, using his years of experience to make it through the difficult journey. Liam Neeson does continue to bring the older action star to the big screen, he does have to show the emotional impact living with a disabled relative will bring his character, even if the action isn’t the most believable in the hand to hand side of things. Gurty is the brother of Mike, he suffered an injury in a war, which has seen him struggling to get through days, with only his brother leading him down the right path of keeping him in a routine which can make him a skilled worker. Tantoo is a young but skill big rig driver that Jim trusts to get the job done, her brother is in the mine, meaning she will have the most to risk trying to make the journey. Jim Goldenrod is the man that puts the team together, he knows the risks are going to be bad, but also knows it is important to save the lives. When it comes to the men in the mine, they will get caught up in their own confliction as they look to fight to survive. The film is filled with strong performances that help the movie move along at a nice pace.
Story – The story here follows three big rigs that must travel along the dangerous ice road in an attempt to delivery rescue materials to a mine that has collapse, in a race against time, where the nature isn’t going to be the only threat they face. This is a story that will put the stakes up high, while giving us a simple idea of needing to get from A to B in a limited amount of time. The idea that the roads are dangerous is known from the large amount of reality shows that will create the tension needed for the journey, while what is going on will add even more tension. This will give us something that will be compared to other films in the same category, without needing to go through the overly detail side of making things too easily. This will be one of the better easy to watch action thrillers you will see this year.
Themes – The Ice Road is an action thriller that will take place on the ice roads which will add tension to the journey scenes, knowing how dangerous things can get if the ice breaks, while adding the action in the needing to survive each situation the drivers find themselves in. with the wide open roads can be put next to the confined space in the mine, showing how everyone from different worlds are working together to rescue people in need.
Signature Entertainment presents The Ice Road on Digital Platforms 27th December and Blu-ray & DVD 10th January.
Final Thoughts – The Ice Road is an ice breaking thriller that relentlessly keeps you on edge.