The Ice House

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!

I find it hard to believe that The Ice House was made back in 1997, watching it again I was surprised at just how fresh it feels. Only the cars and hairstyles seem to date it. The book is a great read, there's always a worry that something gets lost in translation when it's made for TV, not the case here, justice was done. It's a deep story, with more going on then meets the eye. At no point does it feel slow or padded, the characters are brilliantly brought to life, Downie, Redgrave and Craig all particularly good, but the surprise package for me was Kitty Aldridge, not an actress I knew a great deal about, but she was fantastic. Each Minette Walters adaptation that the BBC made I enjoyed, if only this kind of show was still being made. 9/10

The cover photo on the box has changed: it's now Daniel Craig, solo, to capitalize on his success as James Bond. And he is the one who makes this long--three hours--show work. I've rarely seen a man play a drinker better than Craig does here. At one point, he drops to the floor in exhaustion--he hasn't eaten all day--and Aldridge has to make him eat a candy bar to get his strength up. Truly, Sgt. McLaughlin needs some caring soul to look after him.

The story sometimes lags a bit; three hours is a lot of time to devote to a fairly simple story after all. But the acting is generally excellent. Kitty Aldridge is very good as the one-time Communist newspaper reporter who has a lot of secrets to keep from the police. Penny Downie, whom I last saw playing Gertrude to David Tennant's Hamlet, is really moving at times; she is playing a mother of adult children whose father abused them. Corin Redgrave will make you shudder at times: he's playing the lead officer in the investigation who has harassed some of the characters in the past. The supporting cast is generally good, save for the young woman who has to yell 'Lezzies' too many times for my liking. All in all, a good evening's entertainment.

Would you have cast the Daniel Craig of The Ice House as James Bond? Craig's acting in this British TV mystery is of such a high caliber and the role he plays is so anti-Bond, you would have had to have been a truly gifted casting director with a crystal ball to have envisioned Det.-Sgt. McCloughlin as 007. In The Ice House, Craig is a decidedly unheroic copper who will drink anything with an alcoholic content. He is also a brilliant detective -- not the Sherlock Holmes type -- but an indefatigable bloodhound. The Ice House is definitely not a warm, cozy Midsomer Murders type of mystery. It explores the darkest reaches of the human soul. It chills while it thrills. And yet it is intensely watchable, even enjoyable. (Some of the dialogue is laugh-out funny. And some of it is quite blue.) :Part of its attraction may be the level of the writing. The symbolism of the Ice House becomes apparent early on, but doesn't call attention to itself. Indeed, it adds to the cold passion and frozen emotions that coat each frame of this film like frost on a window in deepest winter. At whatever level you choose to watch The Ice House -- as an intelligent, traditional British murder mystery; as a complex love story; as wry social commentary; or as carefully wrought fiction and acting in a setting as multifaceted as an ice crystal -- keep your eyes on the very cool Mr Craig.

The Ice House is a 1997 British mystery starring Daniel Craig, Corin Redgrave, Kitty Aldridge, Frances Barber, and Penny Downie. Three women living together and hated by the town come under suspicion when a body is found in their ice house. Ten years earlier, the husband of one of them, Phoebe (Downie) had disappeared, and at that time, she had been suspected of killing him by DCI Walsh (Redgrave). The other two women, Anne (Aldridge) and Diana (Barber) are lesbians. The town disapproves of them.

Daniel Craig plays DS Andy McLoughlin, who is also working on the investigation of identifying the man in the ice house. His boss is convinced it's the husband. But there is more to the case and to the home situation, as Andy learns; all the while, he's falling for Anne.

Very good mystery that really keeps you guessing. The lonely house provides a great atmosphere, and the characters are all well defined and well-acted. Daniel Craig is always good, and after seeing him on stage, I'm even more impressed with him. As a man with a troubled marriage, coming up against his boss, and getting personally involved with the case, he does a wonderful job. He and Kitty Aldridge have excellent chemistry.

Highly recommended.