The Ice Harvest

I just returned from viewing "The Ice Harvest" at a dollar movie theater, and I have to say it is one of the best movies I have seen this year. John Cusak and Billy Bob Thorton are perfect together. The film relies on slapstick comedy to deliver the laughs as opposed to lame quirky one liners which plague so many comedy movies today. Oliver Platt provides most of the comic relief, and it is great to see Randy Quaid in a new movie. The film is a perfect stab at the film noir genre. I recommend this movie to anyone who likes any of the actors, or just want a nice late night movie. More than likely, you will walk away satisfied.

John Cusack stars, and his performance is pretty much what you expect from him: quick-witted and cynical. But, as far as I'm concerned, as long as that's what the role calls for, he's always good. He plays a mob lawyer who has just stolen over $2 million from his boss (Randy Quaid) with the help of a strip club owner (Billy Bob Thornton). For a good ways into the picture, I thought I was seeing one of the best films of last year. It does start to stumble after about the halfway point, but it still finishes pretty strong. All the actors are strong, but I have to give special kudos to Oliver Platt, who is always a delight. He plays a drunk friend of Cusack's who is now miserably married to Cusack's ex-wife. I don't normally praise drunk acts, but Platt is particularly believable – and hilarious. This movie is a lot of fun and well worth seeing.

Take the sardonic wit of "Prizzi's Honor" or "Body Heat." Combine with not-too- bright characters working a shady deal for quick riches in a caper that could have been written by Elmore Leonard. That's what you have in "The Ice Harvest," a highly entertaining dark comedy.

It's Christmas Eve during a terrible ice storm in Kansas City. Charlie (John Cusack) and Vic (Billy Bob Thornton) have stolen a bundle from the mob. This could create an awkward situation for Charlie if they don't get out of town fast. He's the lawyer for the local mob boss, Bill (Randy Quaid), who has a terrible temper.

So as not to arouse suspicion, Vic and Charlie go their separate ways early in the evening. Both have family duties and Charlie has other things to take care of. There's the beautiful Renata (Connie Nielson), for one. And Pete (Oliver Platt), who shares part of Charlie's past. Life becomes more complicated as the night goes on and Charlie meets up again with Vic. More twists and surprises follow.

I almost didn't go to this movie, because the teaser for the Austin Film Festival made it look like a Cusack-Thornton buddy movie, and I'm tired of the character Thornton keeps playing. Happily Thornton is not on screen much. This is John Cusack's movie and he has created an interesting, unhappy man looking for a way out. Oliver Platt, who steals every scene he's in, provides comic relief and story exposition.

Director Harold Ramis introduced the film and did a Q&A afterwards. He talked about how the snowstorm in the book became an ice storm because that's the weather they had to work with. He talked about the many ideas Cusack and Platt brought to their characters. New to me was Connie Nielson, originally from Denmark. Ramis said she told him she was channeling Jessica Rabbit in the part of the femme fatale. I think she succeeded. Kudos also to Pulitzer-prize winning author Richard Russo and Robert Benton for a snappy script.

The Ice Harvest is attractive to two audiences, those being the film noir and/or crime fans and the people who think a movie with Cusack and Thornton directed by ex-Ghostbuster Ramis is going to be a mishap-riddled caper comedy. Unfortunately, this film's heart lies outside of the compatibility of either. It's technically not a crime film, because the story begins immediately as the crime ends, a $2 million embezzlement scheme that is never explained. Also, the film is certainly not a comedy within the ballpark of any other work by Harold Ramis. What Ramis has made is a film that is more of a dramatic exercise in cinematic mood and low-key atmosphere. The good news is that he pulls it off very well.

The Ice Harvest happens to be one of the movies I watch at Christmastime, because the film is actually so well-directed and so well-shot that it captures that constantly sought-after perfect cozy winter atmosphere on film. The events of the story occur over the course of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, all in the small and quiet town of Wichita, KA. No matter how much time it spends during the outlandish drunken bouts of Oliver Platt or the destructive tantrums of Ned Bellamy's overaggressive bartender, The Ice Harvest never breaks its meticulous feeling and image for one moment.

Even though it's not what is expected by the vast majority of those who have seen it or those who mean to, it does have impressionistic characteristics of those expectations that deliver sensationally, such as Thornton's tremendously entertaining time on screen and the thicket of distrust that ushers in over the course of the holidays succeeding his and Cusack's so-called perfect crime. However, these are purely part of the style rather than the substance. The plot is conjecture of film noir rather than the real deal, as most of the twists are nearly meant to be somewhat obvious or expected. Really, the essence of the story lies in Cusack's descent into complete detachment from any virtue in life, feeling as if he's only an observer when encountering darkly humorous yet brooding things over his Christmas.

The Ice Harvest is not really a comedy and not really a film noir. Actually, it bears no genre per se. Simply, it's a wonderful installment in the phantom subgenre of cinematic moodiness.

I also saw this film at the Virginia Film Festival, but I must disagree with the other fellow who wrote it up. I loved it. I'm not a huge Cusack fan, but I have to say he does a great job carrying this small, gritty, character-driven film. And I thought Oliver Platt was great throughout. It's a terrific script, too, co-written by none other than Robert Benton. Kudos to Harold Ramis for having the guts to make this indie film! Is it commercial? Is it going to make a lot at the B.O.? No, it's not. It's another WONDER BOYS. It's another BIG LEBOWSKI. It's another CUTTER'S WAY. It's another NOBODY'S FOOL. Won't make money, but who cares... It was a delight to watch and I'm sure I'll see it again on a big screen and own it on DVD.