Review of The Frozen Ground (2013) by Christopher H — 01 Nov 2013

In the same vein as almost every other unsolved mystery manhunt thriller, "The Frozen Ground" relies a little too heavily on the average conventions, trading exciting and dynamic tension for based on a true story authenticity.

Pitting Nicolas Cage against serial killer John Cusack reads like a dream come true, but with sub-par, barely there performances, both men come off more like reprising roles that worked better elsewhere, Cage's being his detective role in "8MM" and Cusack's being his creepy performance in "The Paperboy", both of which came off much more character-like that these phoned in performances.

The turn that does raise an eyebrow is Vanessa Hudgens, who also hones in on her previous performance in "Spring Breakers" but still does a lot with her character, now setting herself so far from her "High School Musical" days that you can hardly recognize her behind the smeared mascara and prostitute attire.

The idea of "The Frozen Ground" sells this film perfectly, a true story from Alaska about a serial killer that blends into the community and continues to get away with it. However, the execution feels off and what reads on paper as an epic thriller becomes exactly what it is, a straight-to-DVD thriller with some average performances and nothing quite memorable after the credits roll.