The Ice Harvest (2005)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Harold Ramis

Writers (WGA):

Richard Russo (screenplay) &
Robert Benton (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

23 November 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Thick Thieves. Thin Ice.

Plot:

A shady lawyer attempts a Christmas Eve crime, hoping to swindle the local mob out of some money. But his partner, a strip club owner, might have different plans for the cash.

Plot Keywords:

Christmas | Christmas Eve | Strip Club | Kansas | Rain

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

John Cusack	...	Charlie
Billy Bob Thornton	...	Vic
Lara Phillips	...	Rusti
Bill Noble	...	Culligan
Brad Smith	...	Ronny
Ned Bellamy	...	Sidney
Connie Nielsen	...	Renata
Mike Starr	...	Roy Gelles
T.J. Jagodowski	...	Officer Tyler
Meghan Maureen McDonough	...	Francie
Tab Baker	...	Dennis
Frank Gallo	...	Restaurateur
William Dick	...	Manager
Oliver Platt	...	Pete
David Pasquesi	...	Councilman Williams

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

USA:92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Canada:18A (Alberta/Manitoba/Nova Scotia) | Norway:15 | UK:15 | Finland:K-15 | Netherlands:12 | France:U | Singapore:M18 | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Argentina:13 | Norway:11 | Australia:MA | Germany:16 | USA:R (certificate #39360) | South Korea:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Carpentersvillle, Illinois, USA

Company:

Focus Features

Trivia:

The weather got to be so bad during shooting, that Harold Raimis almost had to close to production for a day, which would've ended his perfect record of never losing a shooting day.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Bill Guerrard is shown in Renata's office at first, his suit jacket is blue. But after getting shot in the face, he is seen on the floor and his suit jacket is black. Then when Bill Guerrard gets up after not being killed, his suit jacket is blue again.

Quotes:

Charlie Arglist: As Wichita falls... so falls Wichita Falls.

Movie Connections:

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Soundtrack:

The Boys All Went Home

Underrated noir / crime caper with a comic edge

John Cusack stars, and his performance is pretty much what you expect from him: quick-witted and cynical. But, as far as I'm concerned, as long as that's what the role calls for, he's always good. He plays a mob lawyer who has just stolen over $2 million from his boss (Randy Quaid) with the help of a strip club owner (Billy Bob Thornton). For a good ways into the picture, I thought I was seeing one of the best films of last year. It does start to stumble after about the halfway point, but it still finishes pretty strong. All the actors are strong, but I have to give special kudos to Oliver Platt, who is always a delight. He plays a drunk friend of Cusack's who is now miserably married to Cusack's ex-wife. I don't normally praise drunk acts, but Platt is particularly believable – and hilarious. This movie is a lot of fun and well worth seeing.