Review of The Frozen Ground (2013) by Simon G — 01 Sep 2013

A by-the-numbers thriller following the real life case of serial killer Robert Hansen who kidnapped, raped, and in some cases murdered a score of young women around Anchorage in the 70s and early 80s. Nicolas Cage manages to reign it in enough to not go full Nic Cage, given an even performance as the State Trooper tasked with finding Hansen - after the remains of young women start turning up in the Alaskan wilderness - with the help of the young prostitute (Vanessa Hudgens) who got away and lived to tell about it.

The harsh Alaskan landscape serves as the biggest character in the film, giving The Frozen Ground a permanent feeling of a mounting dread which really hammers home the point that whether Hansen is apprehended or not these women are dead and came to be in a horrifying manner at the hands of a sadistic but methodical killer. John Cusack gives Hansen an eerie quality through-out, whether it be making small talk with staff in his bakery or indifferently dragging a crying, begging young girl to her grave.

There is enough here to make first time writer-director someone to watch out for.