Review of The Ice Harvest (2005) by Patrick O — 16 Oct 2007

Coal in your stocking again for Christmas? Not this year, say John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton. If everything goes according to plan, it will be champagne dreams and caviar wishes. The problem is, past stealing the money, there is no plan, and to complicate matters, the money belongs to a ruthless gangster who is sure to find out before Cusack and Thornton can make a clean escape.

Trapped in the middle of an ice storm in Kansas, the two bumbling thieves are forced to wait until morning to depart, and that's when the fun begins. One steamy vixen, one wife-stealing friend, one henchman, one foot locker with a live body and two strip clubs later, and you are close to finding out who ends up with the money. Along the way, you are treated to some very comedic sequences as Oliver Platt steals the show.

All in all, [i]The Ice Harvest[/i] plays out like a demented game of clue. Is it Billy Bob in the garage with a 9-iron? or Cusack in the strip club with a shotgun loaded for squirrel? You couldn't squeeze it out of me if you had my finger in a vise.

Loaded with dark humor and gory effects, this movie is sure to keep your attention, up until the final scene. As with all who-dun-it's, however, once you've watched them, the ending is no longer a suprise. Therefore, it is imperitive that there be more value built into the storyline, which is evident in this case. The dialogue is top notch and the acting is terrific as well. Cusack and Thornton play well off one another, and Platts comedic timing and facial expressions are a thing of beauty.

Final analysis: Keep this movie around, and on the occasion that you have a guest who enjoys film noir, break it out, they won't be dissapointed.