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THE ICEMANMovie Reviews
Thriller based on the story of Richard Kuklinski, a notorious contract killer who was also a devoted family man. Cast:Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, James Franco, Ray Liotta, Chris Evans, David Schwimmer, Robert Davi, Danny AbeckaserDirector:Ariel VromenRelease Date:May 3, 2013DVD Release: TBD From:Millenium EntertainmentRating:RLength:1 hr 43 min
The Iceman opened in additional cities this past weekend to very good reviews. • Dana Stevens wrote for Slate, "...a hard-to-watch, hard-to-look-away-from movie.... it's Michael Shannon who lifts it above the run of sociopath character portraits." • And Richard Corliss wrote in Time, "...a B movie and proud of it." More Reviews Below...
The Iceman Positive Reviews (36 Reviews, reviews below)
Richard Corliss, Time: EXCELLENT "...a B movie and proud of it.... presents but does not explain Richard Kuklinski, leaving Michael Shannon to dominate the character by his quiet, creepy presence."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 633 words, 08/31/12
Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD(cg) "...a grim (both visually and thematically) character study of an unsympathetic character... Shannon manages to deliver another impressive performance..."(See all of Chris Nashawaty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 231 words, 05/03/13
Claudia Puig, USA Today: VERY GOOD(cg) "Shannon's restrained and mesmerizing portrayal, bolstered by an excellent offbeat supporting cast, makes for an edgy and compelling Mob yarn."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 527 words, 05/02/13
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...it's somewhat underwhelming that director Ariel Vromen chooses to film it in a fairly straightforward way, using the well-worn, standard-issue biopic formula... Age 17."(See all of Jeffrey M. Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 527 words, 05/04/13
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: EXCELLENT "If the narrow biographical focus prevents it from being a great crime movie, on its own more modest terms it is an indelible film..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 779 words, 05/03/13
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "The '70s-style feel of the film is less self-consciously nostalgic than organic.... years after 'Goodfellas,' Ray Liotta's having a great run."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 515 words, 05/03/13
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...cold.... It never gets underneath Kuklinski's skin in a way that illuminates the psychosis.... Its great failing is not in giving us a monster, but in not making us care."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 835 words, 05/03/13
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "...has its compensations, and the period details aren't bad for a low-budget picture. But the overall effect tends to be as chilly and monotonous as Shannon's demeanor..."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 421 words, 05/03/13
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...sleek, purposeful and extremely well acted.... there's not a dull or cliched or ineffective moment in the performance at its sad, dark heart."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 598 words, 05/17/13
John Anderson, New York Newsday: VERY GOOD(cg) "...as both violent drama and character study, the film does everything it should. Shannon executes the actor's version of multitasking..."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 334 words, 05/17/13
Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine: GOOD "There are so many good things in the film that one wonders why the movie as a whole doesn't quite work.... Shannon is incapable of being mundane, or anonymous..."(See all of Bilge Ebiri's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 739 words, 05/03/13
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "Vromen's film is nearly drained of colour, suggesting the energy loss you'll likely feel after watching it.... fails to define a stone-cold killer."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 591 words, 05/17/13
Rebecca Moss, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "Shannon gives an unnerving performance as a man caged in a cruel apathy.... The film is a blend of Mafia-film cliché and the jarring reality of lives undone by crime."(See all of Rebecca Moss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 259 words, 05/01/13
Adam Nayman, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "Shannon is an overpowering actor, and in this film, the best that he can do is wrestle the movie around him to a stalemate."(See all of Adam Nayman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 477 words, 05/17/13
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Shannon's approach to Kuklinski as a total brick wall is a fascinating performance choice, but even that can't juice up this dull slog through Mob-movie clichés."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 145 words, 05/16/13
KEY CITIES (11 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "Shannon's Iceman is a bit too icy for the movie's own good, even if the supporting cast, which includes James Franco as a particularly pathetic victim, is fine."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 607 words, 05/17/13
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...directed with grit, gristle and punchy energy... never less than fascinating, even if things get a little ham-fisted here and there."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 543 words, 05/17/13
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...cold, calculating, viscerally effective.... Shannon gives a chillingly convincing performance.... an outstanding example of its genre."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 615 words, 05/17/13
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "You want to look away but you can't. Something is going on in there, something brewing, and you're never quite sure when, or even if, it's going to explode."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 582 words, 05/17/13
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "It's a fascinating subject -- the beast that lurks inside the family man -- but the movie blows it.... Vromen just doesn't have the chops."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 129 words, 05/17/13
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: MODERATE(cg) "...the movie death count rises. The drama, though, stays flat.... there's not much style here, beyond the uniformly good acting, and even less of a point."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 548 words, 05/03/13
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "Kuklinski is a highly functional oddball, not a sociopath, not someone incapable of emotion, but someone with ice water in place of blood..."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 421 words, 05/17/13
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "Though well-acted all around, what lifts this from a typical mob movie is its main character's mysterious double life, which we see unfold with very little overlap..."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 329 words, 05/17/13
Mike Russell, Portland Oregonian: GOOD(cg) "While the hit-man biopic can be accused of a certain drama-undermining remove from its subject, the actor playing that subject is still fascinating to watch."(See all of Mike Russell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 589 words, 05/17/13
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "...produces goosebumps.... Because the sociopath at the center of this family portrait never asks for forgiveness, the film is truly chilling."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 342 words, 05/17/13
Adam Graham, Detroit News: VERY GOOD(cg) "As the body count mounts, the movie begins to spin out of control, but Shannon and Vromen don't let it derail. Their focus keeps things from melting down."(See all of Adam Graham's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 278 words, 05/17/13
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Rebecca Moss, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "Shannon gives an unnerving performance as a man caged in a cruel apathy.... The film is a blend of Mafia-film cliché and the jarring reality of lives undone by crime."(See all of Rebecca Moss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 259 words, 05/01/13
Ben Kenigsberg, AV Club: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Lurid material doesn't guarantee a vital film.... Lacking a coherent perspective or point of entry, it leaves the viewer frozen out."(See all of Ben Kenigsberg's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 360 words, 05/02/13
Tomas Hachard, Slant: WEAK(cg) "Shannon does his best with the limited material, and Winona Ryder has a nice turn... but their efforts are undermined by the thin and familiar, decades-spanning mob story."(See all of Tomas Hachard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 593 words, 04/29/13
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Shannon's approach to Kuklinski as a total brick wall is a fascinating performance choice, but even that can't juice up this dull slog through Mob-movie clichés."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 145 words, 05/16/13
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: MODERATE(cg) "...utterly horrific, and utterly compelling.... Even at its most watchable, however, this feels like a pale imitation of 'GoodFellas'..."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 575 words, 05/02/13
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: EXCELLENT "If the narrow biographical focus prevents it from being a great crime movie, on its own more modest terms it is an indelible film..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 779 words, 05/03/13
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...cold.... It never gets underneath Kuklinski's skin in a way that illuminates the psychosis.... Its great failing is not in giving us a monster, but in not making us care."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 835 words, 05/03/13
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: EXCELLENT "A finely chiseled thriller that reflects the cold-blooded efficiency of its murderous subject in every frame and detail... fronted by a commanding Michael Shannon..."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 799 words, 08/30/12
David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter: OUTSTANDING "...densely plotted... Gritty, gripping and unrelentingly intense, Ariel Vromen's film boasts richly detailed character work from an ideal cast."(See all of David Rooney's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,004 words, 08/30/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "...cold.... It never gets underneath Kuklinski's skin in a way that illuminates the psychosis.... Its great failing is not in giving us a monster, but in not making us care."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 835 words, 05/03/13
Stephen Holden, New York Times: EXCELLENT "If the narrow biographical focus prevents it from being a great crime movie, on its own more modest terms it is an indelible film..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 779 words, 05/03/13
15.6 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The Iceman's reviews are separated by an average 15.6 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The Iceman (36 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The Iceman's reviews cover 68.7% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 17,917 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 498 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The Iceman Coverage, Volume & Length (36 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 43 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The Iceman's reviews on average broke 43 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The Iceman's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The Iceman (36 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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