Today’s quick review: The Ice Road. When an explosion traps two dozen miners in a mineshaft in Manitoba, the call goes out for truckers who can haul the equipment needed to rescue them across miles of frozen lake. Mike McCann (Liam Neeson) and his mentally handicapped brother Gurty (Marcus Thomas) join Jim Goldenrod (Laurence Fishburne), Tantoo (Amber Midthunder), and Tom Varnay (Benjamin Walker) on a perilous journey to save the miners.
The Ice Road is an action thriller about a rescue mission down some of the most dangerous roads in Canada. Mike and the other truckers have to deal with harsh weather, fragile ice, and a corporate cover-up to deliver their cargo before the miners asphyxiate. The movie has a promising setup but makes a number of missteps with its execution, leaving a handful of good ideas stranded in a sea of missed potential.
The Ice Road suffers from the mistakes its characters make. Nearly every problem the characters face is self-inflicted, whether due to poor judgment or failure to take even basic precautions. One or two of these mistakes could be forgiven as plot contrivances, but there are enough of them that it is hard to feel sympathy for the characters. The artificial drama also undercuts the threat posed by the ice road.
There are other issues that mar the film. None of the characters except Gurty are especially likable, and Varnay in particular drains the energy out of every scene he is in. The plot has some minor but noticeable holes in it, such as the oddly specific deadline to save the miners. Finally, the pacing of the movie is off, building to a crescendo well before it is over. The result is a long, tacked-on finale that contributes nothing to the plot.
Still, The Ice Road has a few qualities that give it a niche. The setup for the story is solid, and the particular challenges posed by the ice road are interesting. Apart from their mistakes of judgment, the truckers show a remarkable problem-solving ability, using winches, cables, and ingenuity to salvage the mission on more than one occasion. Gurty also stands out as a steadfast character and arguably the film’s true hero.
The Ice Road has the makings of a tense thriller, but it succumbs to poor choices along the way. Artificial drama, poor pacing, and misuse of a hostile environment all make the movie a frustrating watch. Fans of lower-budget action movies will still get something out of seeing the truckers cope with ice and sabotage to reach their destination, but anyone hoping for a well-constructed movie will want to look elsewhere.
For Liam Neeson in a black comedy that makes better use of a frigid setting, try Cold Pursuit. For a science fiction action thriller that follows a similar formula, try Sunshine, The Core, or Armageddon.
[5.6 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3758814/). I give it a 5.5 for modest strengths and pervasive flaws.