Review of The Iceman (2012) by Thomas W — 18 Sep 2013

A well-made although under-the-radar film based on true events starring Michael Shannon (Take Shelter) and Winona Ryder (Black Swan) as a married couple who are living a secret life ... as he is a hired contract killer and she has NO idea or thoughts on any of it.

Shannon plays real-life, notorious (contract) killer Richard Kuklinski who was arrested in 1986 for links to the mob and for killing over 100 men. Apparently he was so good ... his wife Deborah knew of not a single one of them! The Iceman spans a couple of decades and recounts Kuklinski's earlier days working for a seedy porn business -- he was merely a lab tech -- before he was recruited by the mob to do some of their "dirty work".

Because of internal mob squabbles, Kuklinski found himself mostly working with a dangerous, lethal man who went by the name of Mr. Freezy (Chris Evans - Captain America); but bad things have a way of "righting" themselves .

.. and this is what ultimately happens to Kuklinski and his family. After nearly three decades as a gun-for-hire, his life is exposed to his family he only wanted to provide for. Ryder and Shannon are both good as always here but they are just two of the recognizable faces in this small, independent film.

Ray Liotta (Goodfellas), James Franco (127 Hours), David Schwimmer ('Friends'), Robert Davi (The Goonies) and Stephen Dorff (Somewhere) all co-star in smaller although still-important roles. The film is an interesting one .

.. and it is never overly sentimental although the family has a few scenes with warmth. The film mainly focuses upon the man and his work ... and all of that kept as an unspoken secret to his family. The film is cold although that is exactly how it should be.

He endangered his own life and that of his family's daily ... but it never really crossed his mind as such. This is an interesting movie of a strange story. We forget how much easier it may have been to be oblivious several decades ago.