60
Metascore
28 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreMcClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreThe dialogue is hard-bitten and Mamet-sharp.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyThe Iceman is a vivid evocation of a remorseless sociopath sustaining a double life as a contract killer and devoted family man. Gritty, gripping and unrelentingly intense, Ariel Vromen’s film boasts richly detailed character work from an ideal cast.
- 67Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment WeeklyUltimately, this is a grim (both visually and thematically) character study of an unsympathetic character, leaving Shannon, who manages to deliver another impressive performance, twisting in the ice-cold wind.
- 60The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawAs a demonstration of the banality of evil, The Iceman is certainly effective and Shannon's performance gives the film its power.
- 60Village VoiceVillage VoiceUltimately The Iceman is a blend of Mafia-film cliché and the jarring reality of lives undone by crime.
- 50The PlaylistOliver LytteltonThe PlaylistOliver LytteltonIt’s never a painful watch, more of a faintly dull, seen-it-all-before one. If nothing else, it’s evidence that these days, being based on a true story isn’t enough to elevate a film in a well-worn genre ahead of the pack.
- 45Film.comLaremy LegelFilm.comLaremy LegelDiscordance, meet The Iceman, a film so wrong-footed it should take Eugene Levy out for a coffee.
- 40Time OutKeith UhlichTime OutKeith UhlichThere’s a ruthlessly effective movie to be made from this material, and you couldn’t hope for a better performer than Shannon, who can turn on a dime between quiet malevolence and volcanic rage, to inhabit the sociopathic central figure. Unfortunately, this overproduced biopic constantly counteracts the actor’s committed efforts with its pale-imitation slickness.
- 38Slant MagazineTomas HachardSlant MagazineTomas HachardMichael Shannon has no interior to play with, since the film seems intent on ridding Richie of any emotion other than love for his family, and also no catharsis to build toward.