The Ice House

'The Ice House' is a truly remarkable venture, both in terms of plot and of characterization. As far as the slowly unfolding plot is concerned, the film is second to hardly any of the British (TV) mysteries of recent years such as Inspector Morse etc. The main characters are portrayed in a convincing yet cinematically appropriate way. Right from the very beginning the film psychologically probes the dark sides of human nature keeping the viewer in tight suspense right to the very end. Worth seeing !

The Ice House at first appears to be your typical English murder mystery. Gradually some differences emerge:

1. the pace is quite slow, much closer to a real investigation.

2. your sympathies are with the suspects. You can see why they are sick of co-operating with such loutish police asking the same questions over and over, making all manner of accusations. The police are smirking, rude, bullying, homophobic.

3. You don't know for sure if the various murders actually happened, and if so, who was murdered. This multiplies the number of possibilities exponentially.

4. The townspeople are revolting. Based on rumours they are sure who the culprits are and are keen on vigilante justice. They are brutish and stupid, far scarier than any murderer.

5. Daniel Craig (of later James Bond fame) plays the second in charge inspector. He is an alcoholic. He undisciplined. He is even handsomer than he was as Bond, and somewhat scary in his volatility. The chief inspector is a despicable character who ignores evidence and abuses his power.

It is quite a subtle film, except for the final scene when Craig gives the townspeople a dressing down they will never forget. This movie requires patience and lots of thinking. It about characters, not plot.

This is perhaps the best mystery I've seen on PBS Mystery! Interesting characters, suspenseful plot development, and flawless acting make this TV version of Minette Walter's mystery novel better than the book - and I've never said that about a movie vs. book before.

Diane, Anne and Phoebe live a peaceful life in a glorious house, that bliss is shattered when a body is discovered in the ice House. The Police are called in.

A wonderful two part drama series, it's beautifully acted, produced, but best of all, it's a cracking whodunnit.

A tangled mystery, with plenty of red herrings thrown in, I really so miss the Minette Walters penned dramas, why did they have to stop them, each was excellent.

It takes some time before you learn who it is in the ice house, and how they ended up there, but the journey is well worth it, there is a lot packed in.

Daniel Craig for me is the standout, and that isn't the James Bond fan in me just opting for him. His performance is outstanding, but everyone contributes well in this.

Twenty four years on, and it's genuinely as good as when I first saw it, excellent, 9/10.

First I, even at my age, saw and took REAL notice of Daniel Craig was in "The Ice House". I thought to myself hubba, hubba (showing my age with that expression) and then watched out for him. When I saw "Layer Cake" I had no doubt that Daniel Craig will make as good a James Bond as Sean Connery and I just saw the new Bond film yesterday. He was a great James Bond equalling Sean Connery in my view much better than Pierce Brosnan (who is very good looking but lacks the killer spark) and silly Roger Moore who I don't think could land a punch on anything much less do any of those stuns and just painful to watch. I am actually well over the Bond movies as the computerized stunts irritate me but enjoyed this new film just watching Daniel Craig's lips!