They forgot ‘Coat Appreciator’.
The Iceman tells the story of a man who lead a double life for many decades. In his most coveted and valued role Richie Kuklinski (Michael Shannon) was a devoted family man, fiercely protective of his wife Deborah (Winona Ryder) and two young daughters. It’s his other life that greenlit the movie though…
… starting as a humble porn editor in the 1960s, Richie was quickly identified by organised crime boss Joe (Ray Liotta) as having just the right temperament and attitude for other things. Joe saw a steely eyed, dour and dispassionate man, and correctly assumed he carried all the hallmarks of a successful mob heavy *slash* contract killer.
And he was right. Well spotted Joe.
Of course Richie didn’t even want reserved and conservative Deborah to know he was a porn editor, let alone an assassin, so for a great many years he handled his business like a pro, and never let on that he was anything more than a working schmo. Of course as the money for hits started rolling in, then the grandiosity of the fake jobs required adjustment for inflation also.
To be fair to the film, Richie hardly changes demeanor dramatically within the walls of his home. He remains a towering and intense figure who doesn’t suffer criticism and fools, sitting on the edge of his chair as if waiting to spring into action. He’s essentially the same guy, he just doesn’t bring the core part of the job home with him.
That might work for a while, even years. But it would seem being a hired gun carries risks and responsibilities that can’t be simply forgotten when hanging the coat on the hook at 5.15. Richie fights a constant battle to keep his work and home lives separate, but eventually it becomes obvious that he will lose this one.
Shannon is a coiled spring as Kuklinski, an especially dangerous man who can imbue death just by a sideways glance. Based upon a true story, he was allegedly responsible for over 100 deaths over three decades, with his wife never twigging to the reality of his business trips until the very end.
Liotta plays his usual stock and trade character as Joe, a perpetually angry man with a disdain for all around him. Chris Evans plays ‘Mr Freezy’, a rival and ultimately colleague of Richie’s who operates an ice cream truck – and then uses the same truck to get to his hits.
Like Richie ‘the Iceman’ himself, the film is cold and dispassionate, lacking in energy and excitement. Death always looms over proceedings though, and it is decidedly bloody on occasions, usually in the matter of fact way favoured by Richie though. I was never bored, but neither was it compelling stuff.
That’s the problem with being a workaday contract killer. Every job becomes boring if you do it long enough.
Final Rating – 6.5 / 10. I’m equally sure there’s a film to be made about the expressionless porn editor keeping his occupation secret from his pious wife.
