Review of The Frozen Ground (2013) by Matt L — 02 Oct 2013

Let me first begin by saying that I am not a fan of Nicolas Cage, and there's maybe only one of two films that he's been a part of that I've actually enjoyed. This doesn't mean I have some sort of vendetta against the man or his work - other than his style of acting not being my cup of tea. For a man that was (at one point) on the verge of playing Superman, Cage sure has taken lead roles in some completely lackluster films - including Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Drive Angry, and Stolen (with several more on top of those). With that being said, the fact that it's been quite a while since Cage has been relevant has not bothered me in the slightest. Truth be told, Cage will have to work extra hard to get back into Hollywood's spotlight, assuming he ever wants to be there. In any event, he appears to be on the right track, starring in the new drama, The Frozen Ground.

Scott Walker makes his writing and directorial debut with The Frozen Ground, starring Nicolas Cage as Jack Halcombe - an Alaskan police sergeant that is assigned a case to bring a serial killer to justice. For more than 15 years, Robert Hansen (John Cusack) has blended in with the community as an upstanding, respectable citizen - while secretly abducting, raping, and murdering young teenage girls. His latest victim, a prostitute named Cindy Paulson (Vanessa Hudgens), is able to escape Hansen's clutches, but when she tells her story to the police, they don't believe her. When Paulson's story is brought to Sgt. Halcombe's attention, he takes it upon himself to protect her while searching for enough evidence to put Hansen behind bars. Curtis Jackson, Dean Norris, and Radha Mitchell also star in supporting roles.

Surprisingly, Nicolas Cage is on the top of his game in the role of Sgt. Halcombe. When we first meet Halcombe, he's preparing to exit his job and start a new chapter in his life. However, things change when he's put in charge of a series of murders that all resemble the same pattern: the murder of young girls. While Cage portrays the generic law enforcement lead - driven, ambitious, and won't settle for failure - he still manages to bring a realistic emotion to a character that rarely displays physical emotion. This lead character, haunted by the death of his sister from an automobile accident, doesn't let death define him, yet this tragic incident provides another dimension to an otherwise predictable character. All in all, this is probably Cage's most impressive role since World Trade Center.

While I'm mostly on the wrong side of the fence when it comes to Nicolas Cage, I would certainly call myself a fan of Cage's fellow co-star, John Cusack. The careers of Cage and Cusack sort of mirror each other in terms of their popularity and status in the limelight. Neither would be considered major stars, but both have a loyal following. Both Cage and Cusack, previously collaborating on the 1997 summer blockbuster, Con Air, are back together and mesh together rather well in their reunion. Cusack isn't exactly the most calculating villain in this flick, but he does an admirable jump - easily comparable to Robin Williams's villainous character in Insomnia. From the very beginning, viewers are aware of who the bad guy is, and will go through the dramatic motions of various interactions in which the villain escapes being caught. Unfortunately, Cusack's interaction with Cage is minimal and doesn't even occur until nearly three quarters of the way through the film - but the build-up is still worth the wait.

I'm on record of being against musicians taking their "talents" to acting, especially when it comes to singers like Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, and Selena Gomez. More often than not, their appearance in a film alone is enough to warrant a terrible review for a film. However, in the case of Vanessa Hudgens - she has managed to work her way around joining the club of pre-mentioned singers turned "actresses." Hudgens certainly stands out in that particular crowd, showing signs of potential in previous roles, like Spring Breakers and Sucker Punch (I said signs of potential). She also shows signs of potential in various scenes in The Frozen Ground, mostly when she's drugged out or weeping in a police station - but the potential is there. Surprisingly, she is given quite a bit of screen time, and doesn't completely bomb with it. It's quite possible her future might be in film after all. It might be low-budget, straight-to-video film, but that's film none-the-less.

More often than not, The Frozen Ground features an attention-sustaining pace - even though you can quickly predict the film's inevitable outcome. The fact that this film is a true story, based on the murders committed by Robert Hansen between 1971 and 1983, at least provides a bit of history to go along with a foreseeable outcome. There are shades of Christopher Nolan's Insomnia sprinkled all over this film, mostly since you'll be able to see the lives of two men taking different paths that will eventually intersect with one another. The characters are written well, given average back stories, but really lack a big name presence that would have given this film much more attention than it did. Like many flicks that only briefly land in theaters, The Frozen Ground went to on-demand and quickly to home video. Was it worth a trip to the theater? Probably not, unless you're a Cage or Cusack follower - but since you no longer need to leave your couch to watch this flick, it is certainly worth a view.

GRADE: B-.