The Iceman
User Score
7.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11

Review this movie

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. cammyland
    May 4, 2013
    10
    There was a subtle development of a character I couldn't imagine possible with a figure like Richard Kuklinski. the performances were uniformally excellent. The writing and directing were especially strong. Kudos to Michael Shannon...if he's not nominated for an oscar, there's no justice.
  2. Nesbitt10
    May 3, 2013
    6
    Claiming to have pulled off over one hundred hits to his name, Richard Kuklinski was a legendary mafia contract killer known for his intimidating stature, and his cold-hearted, nonchalant approach to murder. "The Iceman" is based on a true story, and is a fairly standard biopic that is only elevated by a gripping performance from Michael Shannon. Shannon's commanding performance is the overall highlight of the film- as the actor effortlessly transforms his character into a consistently engaging and genuinely frightening figure. "The Iceman" exhibits an array of methods Kuklinski employs to commit murder from the '50s until his arrest in the mid '80s. However, his method of freezing his victims is all but passed over, barely even mentioned. A minor detail perhaps, lost in the story line due to the ever-growing body count. But when your protagonist is a deranged killer, and nicknamed "The Iceman," it's a significant element of the story all but ignored, which led to his eventual undoing.

    In Ariel Vromen's "The Iceman," we first meet Kuklinski as a young man out on a date with a woman destined to become Mrs. Kuklinski (Winona Ryder). She is shy and naive, but ultimately won over by the man's charisma, devotion, and persistence. Incredibly, Richard was able to maintain a double life, never mixing his unwavering devotion to his family, and his work for the Mafia. Recruited by local Mafia boss Roy (Ray Liotta), Richard begins to make a name for himself as a hit-man for the mob. Our protagonist is an outsider however, a Polish American who can never be fully integrated into the Mafia. This is a character study of a man that you have seen before in a number of gangster films--the killer in black leather gloves, sporting a trench coat, and void of any emotion when committing murder. The litany of killings administered by Kuklinski is predominantly delivered via montages.

    Kuklinski was an impenetrable individual, and Shannon does justice to the man with a suitably complex performance. Shannon does his best with the limited material, and Ryder is fine as Richie's oblivious wife. But their efforts are further undermined by the thin and very familiar, decades-spanning mob story. Unfortunately, besides seeing just how many era-appropriate hairstyles and beards its characters can model in one movie, this telling of Richard's story seems to care more about the body count above all else.    … Expand
  3. Matteo
    May 9, 2013
    4
    Beyond a disappointment. Shannon is a major talent, but he had a very flawed script to work with. There is zero empathy for the lead character. You could care less if he cares about his family, he's such a ridiculous psychopath and not clever enough to be interesting.. And the script, it sets up Ray Liotta's character as the antagonist and the narrative makes you want a climax between him and shannon, but you never get it, instead you get melodrama asking us to try and feel sorry for a psychopath who killed over a hundred people.... Skip it.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
60 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 25 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 25
  3. Negative: 1 out of 25
  1. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Adam Nayman
    May 17, 2013
    50
    Michael Shannon is an overpowering actor, and in The Iceman, the best that he can do is wrestle the movie around him to a stalemate.
    Read full review
  2. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    Reviewed by: Joe Williams
    May 17, 2013
    75
    Because the sociopath at the center of this family portrait never asks for forgiveness, The Iceman is truly chilling.
    Read full review
  3. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    May 16, 2013
    50
    Director/co-writer Ariel Vromen has made a grimly passable crime drama in the sub-“GoodFellas”/“Sopranos” vein, and if you’re looking for something to order up on a slow Saturday night, it’ll do.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »