The Iceman-Stone Cold Killer-Unhinged Reviews

   After months of waiting for this release to come out on dvd, it's finally here!  "The Iceman" is a thriller derived from true events in the life of Richard Kuklinski, a mafia hitman.  Richard's trail of blood and murder is well known throughout the world of criminal history and it is suspected that he was responsible for over 100 deaths before his capture.  This movie gives some insight into the life of a man that tried to balance his duties as a father and husband with the dirty underworld of murder for hire.  Let's Unhinge this one with a bullet proof vest!

  Michael Shannon stars as Kuklinski in "The Iceman" and this has to be without a doubt one of his grittiest performances to date.  Ray Liotta was also cast in this film as Roy Demeo, a local shot caller in the criminal underworld who also gives Richard his first taste of money for his sinister 

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services.  "The Iceman" is chock-full of mafia film vets, but this isn't your typical, "Bang, Bang Shoot Em Up".  Instead, this movie is about Richard's detached relationship with the world that enabled him to commit murder after murder without remorse.   

  Director, Ariel Vromen really took time in the beginning of the movie to lay a solid foundation surrounding Richard's ability to respond to conflict in an eerily calm manner.  This insight into Kuklinski's life truly gives viewers a sense of Richard's lack of empathy that indefinitely rules out any chance of gray area in his "Black and White" thought process.  Ultimately, what that means is "It's his way or the highway", if you were to ever bring opposition in his path.  His book has only one solution for your stress and that is Death.  Throughout the course of the film, you will be amazed at the portrayal of Richard's unyielding nerve to bring peace to the restless or calm to the storm.

  Another striking quality of Richard is his remarkable lack of empathy, but this trait is not without consequence.  As people, we need to be able to connect and relate with others in the building of relationships, especially if we are to have a tight bond with our significant other.  Richard, however, being unable to genuinely care for others in an emotional sense was never able to form a sturdy connection with people closest to his heart.  So with all that distance between him and the world, it's no wonder that he could kill without one ounce of regret.  This is all demonstrated in the film and we're sure his issues run deeper, but for the sake of the review, we'll keep it short.    

  And so, in a nutshell, the film's basic layout tells the story of Kuklinski's personal life and how he moved from murder to murder until his arrest on December 12, 1986.   There are also a few scenes in the presentation that really drive home the dark edge of Richard's psyche, one being, the scene with James Franco.  After watching this movie, you'll definitely want to learn more about this interesting fellow and that's why we've taken the liberty of posting some additional bonus real-life footage of Richard, below the trailer.  Oh, the madness that some people keep locked away in their cranium, just goes to show that you never know what's on someone's mind until you know what's on their mind.

  So is "The Iceman" a film to watch?  It can be, especially for those wanting to see the Man Of Steel's General Zod in action once again.  It's also a good movie to view if your into criminal psychology or are just curious to see what made Kuklinski's wires cross to the point of no return.   One more thing, "The Iceman" isn't a kid-friendly film", so keep that in mind when you pop this one in your blu-ray.  Enjoy

 Bonus: Below the trailer you can get a taste of the original Richard Kuklinski in his nonchalant banter about his crimes.  

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