Ice Soldiers

I recorded this movie on my PVR, thinking it was going to be just another cheapo actioner imitating Asylum's garbage. Planned to fast-forward through the painfully boring parts, and stop by only for the delightfully stupid or violent (nudity was also promised by the warnings, but it turned out to be not female :)).

...and I ended up watching it from beginning to end. This movie actually has an interesting SF and Cold War premise; several great veterans of acting (Michael Ironside and Adam Beach) and performers I have never heard of before (Camille Sullivan, and Gabriel Hogan whose evil perfection is genuinely captivating), and they all seem to fill out their roles comfortably and believably. The actors manage to make their characters interesting enough that you want to listen to what they say, however banal that sometimes turns out to be. The writer(s) also tried to drag a bit of science and historical 'authenticity' into their story, and the dialogue is pretty decent (sometimes even good) most of the time.

On top of all that, the sets are solid (if indubitably inexpensive), there is an excellent use of real life locations, and the effects range from competent to good. This film is not a shoot'em-up actioner, but the action it does have (and when it has it) seems well-paced, and integral to the story.

Low-budget, frequently flawed, and somewhat cliché'd (I thought the 'big reveal' at the end was obvious after the first 5 minutes of the film), it is mediocre at best. Considering how many TRULY horrible movies you are flooded with on a daily basis, though, 'Ice Soldiers' is definitely not a bad movie; and it tries in every area - and really hard - not to go out of its way to offend your intelligence. Plus, this is one of perhaps only two or three movies in which Dominic Purcell is actually perfect for the character he plays!

During the Cuban missile crisis a plane crashes in the Canadian arctic. Folks from a nearby station arrive and rescue 3 survivors. They are all blonde and tall. The physician there is a girl and she's attracted to the sole conscious survivor. Next, he breaks free and kills everything in sight.

50 years later an oil expedition arrive to the area. Part of it is a scientist named Malraux and his Russian sidekick. In charge of the oil exploration is some mean lady called Frazier. Some paramilitary team lead by Col. Trump is also involved and they mostly join Malraux, whose goal is to find the 3 guys from the intro. They could be the result of a Nazi experiment or just Russian soldiers trying to take over NY. He and the paramilitary team set up camp near a mountain. When bad weather threatens to end the operation, Malraux explores a cave and finds the three bodies. They are transported to the station and put on life support. Then their hearth start beating again. When Malraux tries to kill these guys, he's placed in custody. Then the guys wake up and ravage the camp.

Malraux survives with an injured leg and starts limping after the three guys. He runs into an Indian who offers to take him to the next town. On the way they stop at a camp where the three guys have just killed everyone. Malraux and the Indian manage to survive and make it to the town where the Russians are enjoying drinks and strippers. That's when Maulraux confronts the guys and we learn some secrets.

Ice Soldiers starts out pretty well. The part at the exploration camp is pretty good. Things start going downhill when Malraux goes ofter those guys. Direction is pretty good. Acting is also good. Purcell, Ironside, Beach, Branzea, Sullivan are all solid. The problem is with the dialogue of the script. Very little is said and when something is said it's either confrontational, or unclear. The overall story has some interesting ideas. But it gives up these ideas or doesn't explore them to turn into an ordinary chase/action movie. Several things that happen are completely unbelievable and should have been handled better. Had this movie stayed at the camp for the entire length of it, it would have turned out better. Still, it's different and enjoyable.

I know what you're thinking - stupid title, right? It must be a stupid film... WRONG! This is an excellent effort all around and you'll want to watch, I bet.

It's a story about three mysterious dudes found at a crash site frozen in ice. We learn they are some kind of Soviet experiment intended to destabilize the US during our former "cold war". In fact, they are a genetically engineered wrecking crew!

Since the story spends no time on the "science" behind this questionable genetic engineering, you won't mind the stretch of your imagination, because this picture moves! From start to finish, you'll get nothing but excitement and quality performances.

In particular, the largely unknown "Frozens" - Gabriel Hogan (#1), Matthew G. Taylor (#2), and Andre Tricoteux (#3) - are very effective in their roles, very menacing but with a smile on their faces! Of course, Dominic Purcell plays Malraux with equal finesse and you'll also enjoy Adam Beach as TC Cardinal and Michael Ironside as Col. Desmond Trump.

Don't let the title fool you. This movie is as cool as ice - ice soldiers, that is!

I am a big Dominic Purcell fan, saw this movie on Crackle, it wasn't bad, I liked it, and I could even watch it again and again.

Sometimes, I'll watch a movie because of who is playing a main character. And I don't mean I'm looking for any of the "usual suspects." I mean I want to watch an actor I see in movies, but who often seems to have some secondary role. Dominic Purcell's name caught my eye in this one.

TV roles are all well and good, but it is often refreshing to see such an actor play the lead or a main role (Bryan Cranston in Cold Comes the Night is another example). Here, Purcell plays a part with little need for drama, and little opportunity to demonstrate acting talent. To be fair, that was his character here, but the movie was still an enjoyable semi-action flick. The plot is tied into the 1962 Cuban Missle Crisis, but only tangentially. The Sci-Fi aspect overwhelms any real historical theme. And the plot-twist has so many clues dropped that it seems like a made-for-TV movie.

Regardless, the movie held my attention and Purcell's adequate performance was well supported by Michael Ironside and Adam Beach (who must unfortunately play the native American with an alcohol history stereotype).

As an aside, the movie might have been better if Purcell's character had developed more of a romantic interest in Camille Sullivan's character, or if the characters of the super soldiers (especially No. 1) had been fleshed out some more. eg. "bad ass wakes up after 50 years and his mission seems a little stale in a completely changed world." As it is, they come off as new Rap music fans who want to have sex with the first woman they lay eyes on.

No academy award winner here, or even high action, but still a fair watch for a story requiring little mental effort.