THE ICE HARVEST is a quirky little film that is very much in keeping with the writing style of novelist Scott Phillips but even more so in the hit 'em where it counts style of screenplay adapters Richard Russo and Robert Benton! This is one of the better film noir entries into the black comedy version that has appeared in a long time. Director Harold Ramis knows how to move his talented cast around in a never-a-dull-moment adventure that no matter how bizarre the many twists become, the viewer is glued to the screen afraid to miss a moment of the convoluted plat.
Charlie Arglist (John Cusack) is a lawyer for the crime mob in Wichita, Kansas informs us at the beginning that though people say there is no such thing as a perfect crime, he is about to show us one. It seems Charlie has found a way to steal a hefty amount of cash from Kansas City crime bass Bill Guerrard (Rand Quaid) but must enlist the help of pornographer/strip club owner Vic (Billy Bob Thornton) to carry it off. Once Charlie has the 2 million dollars and turns it over to Vic, all manner of bizarre events occur. Charlie's best friend is a drunk Pete (Oliver Platt) who, in addition to being inebriated every moment, has married Charlie's ex-wife. Charlie pines after stripper Renata (Connie Nielson) and this entanglement has its own sour repercussions. The crux of the story is how in one short Christmas Eve the ideal heist meets with every possible bad consequence, leaving the ending as a sparkling surprise that only makes the audience feel guilty that they should have noticed all the clues along the way! Cusack, Platt, Thornton, Quaid, and Nielsen turn in tour de force performances, rasty, silly and wild as they come. The pacing of the film is so fast that the story seems to whiz by in a flash of ludicrous events. There is a lot of violence and a lot of dialogue that is as raw as the strip club scenery, but it all works. Very well. Few cinematographers have been able to capture the sleazy ice slick atmosphere of midwinter bleakness in a dowdy area of Kansas (though shot in Illinois) as well as Alar Kivilo. The DVD offers two alternative endings, each every different from the chosen one, as well as some outtakes by Billy Bob Thornton and director comments that are fun and entertaining. Grady Harp
Charlie Arglist (John Cusack) is a lawyer for the crime mob in Wichita, Kansas informs us at the beginning that though people say there is no such thing as a perfect crime, he is about to show us one. It seems Charlie has found a way to steal a hefty amount of cash from Kansas City crime bass Bill Guerrard (Rand Quaid) but must enlist the help of pornographer/strip club owner Vic (Billy Bob Thornton) to carry it off. Once Charlie has the 2 million dollars and turns it over to Vic, all manner of bizarre events occur. Charlie's best friend is a drunk Pete (Oliver Platt) who, in addition to being inebriated every moment, has married Charlie's ex-wife. Charlie pines after stripper Renata (Connie Nielson) and this entanglement has its own sour repercussions. The crux of the story is how in one short Christmas Eve the ideal heist meets with every possible bad consequence, leaving the ending as a sparkling surprise that only makes the audience feel guilty that they should have noticed all the clues along the way! Cusack, Platt, Thornton, Quaid, and Nielsen turn in tour de force performances, rasty, silly and wild as they come. The pacing of the film is so fast that the story seems to whiz by in a flash of ludicrous events. There is a lot of violence and a lot of dialogue that is as raw as the strip club scenery, but it all works. Very well. Few cinematographers have been able to capture the sleazy ice slick atmosphere of midwinter bleakness in a dowdy area of Kansas (though shot in Illinois) as well as Alar Kivilo. The DVD offers two alternative endings, each every different from the chosen one, as well as some outtakes by Billy Bob Thornton and director comments that are fun and entertaining. Grady Harp