The Iceman – review
Michael Shannon in The Iceman
Michael Shannon is not quite yet a household name, despite his impressive lead in Take Shelter (2011) and his role as tough Bureau of Prohibition agent in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, but that is all soon to change.
His success with playing psychologically-troubled characters has earned him some stellar roles, most notably in this month’s Man of Steel, in which he will play the iconic General Zod.
However, his stunning portrayal in The Iceman, a biopic about notorious contract killer Richard Kuklinski, will earn him much praise and plenty more offers of similar roles.
In recent interviews, Shannon has expressed his concern about being typecast as a go-to-guy for psychopathic characters, but this brutal performance will not earn him many detractors, nor will his supervillain role in Man of Steel, which will see him in rageful mode and stepping up the intensity levels.
Kuklinski does not earn his moniker from his icy stare or cold-hearted demeanour (although Shannon gives us both these elements in abundance), but instead it is the method he used in some of his numerous murders – estimated around 100 – which included freezing down his victims to skew the determination of time of death, before dumping the bodies.
Director Ariel Vromen used Anthony Bruno’s The Iceman: The True Story of a Cold-blooded Killer and a documentary by James Thebaut, which includes interviews with the infamous killer, as source material for this film.
The Kuklinski family wanted nothing to do with the film, having no involvement with the director or cast.
This is perhaps not surprising, considering it seems Richard’s wife, Barbara, and their daughters knew nothing of his crimes (spanning over three decades) before his arrest in 1986. Kuklinski was simply a loyal husband and devoted father before the horror of his deeds unfolded.
Vromen has no intention to have the audience similarly deceived. We instead see Kuklinski evolve from angry young man to professional killer before our eyes, whilst at the same time living this double life as a doting (if possessive) partner under the guise of successful stock trader.
This is not the case of a family man getting mixed up with the mob and things getting out of control. Kuklinski is a deeply troubled man from a young age, as we see at the start of the film, when his fiery temper sees him kill a man for a disparaging remark about his soon-to-be girlfriend (Winona Ryder). We also witness clues to his issues, including a flashback scene that shows harsh punishment being delivered by his father, and we also learn that Richard’s brother, Joey (Stephen Dorff), is in jail for raping and killing a 12-year-old girl.
It is suggested that Kuklinski is a product of his environment and he is a bad apple, hell-bent on treating the world with the disrespect it has shown him. However, his relationship changes this and is the only thing, along with his kids that follow, that means anything to him.
This disaffection and lack of empathy towards people and society is what attracts notable mobster, Roy DeMeo (Ray Liotta), to him. Initially Kuklinski works in dubbing pornographic films, which DeMeo has involvement with, and when this gets disbanded, DeMeo decides to test the imposing figure’s metal to see whether he has what it takes to be part of his crew.
He is required to carry out an initiation – both a loyalty test and proof of a lack of conscience – which consists of DeMeo giving him the target of a tramp to “put out of his misery.”
When he fulfils this, he is on board, and what follows is a career in contract killing. Kuklinski hones his skills through the decades and changes with the times, especially with his confidence, skill set and fashion. He grows accustomed to the riches of his contracts and upgrades to sharp suits, à la Scarface and Goodfellas.
As you would imagine, it doesn’t last forever and eventually things go haywire – the catalyst for the trouble being a loose cannon named Josh Rosenthal (David Schwimmer). Roy seems to act like a father figure to him, but Josh continuously takes liberties by acting unprofessionally and shouting his mouth off, which brings unwanted attention from the higher-level mobsters from New York crime families.
When things get tense, Richard links up with another hitman, Robert “Mr Freezy” Prongay (Chris Evans), which leads him to the freezing techniques that earn him the “The Iceman” name.
The film is a slick, no-frills depiction of a ruthless, sociopathic killer and the tone is fairly neutral, in that it doesn’t profess to truly empathise with or judge Kuklinski. The Iceman leaves you with a chill as you wonder how this cold and calculated killer could live this double life for so long, with his wife and kids none the wiser.
Liotta is in top gangster form again, after a good strong showing in last year’s Killing Them Softly, Ryder is excellent as Kuklinski’s meek and respectful wife and Shannon delivers an unnerving performance that is engaging throughout.
The Iceman (15)
Directed by Ariel Vromen
Starring: Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, Ray Liotta, Chris Evans, David Schwimmer, Robert Davi, James Franco, Stephen Dorff, Danny A. Abeckaser.
Running time: 105 minutes
The Iceman is showing at Hackney Picturehouse throughout June.