Starring Michael Shannon, the Iceman is a film adaptation of the life of  Richard “The Iceman” Kuklinski, who some still believe was –  and always will be –  the best contract killer that ever existed. He killed over one hundred men and showed no sorrow for the pain he had caused. The only thing he regrets is getting caught, because his family would get hurt.

Shannon does a brilliant job of portraying The Iceman, creating a very dark theme to a very thrilling film. He shows how well paid a contact killer is and how much Richard Kuklinski’s lifestyle changed when he became one. But he also shows the dark side of the job: the anger caused from the constant killing and how Kuklinski sees life in a whole new way. A very dark way.

The film is set from the 1940s to the 1980s, and it shows Kuklinski’s whole career as a contract killer from beginning to fantastic end. The film really brings you back in time, making you feel like as if you are there due to the brilliant set, costumes and makeup. Performance wise the film is outstanding; even James Franco’s appearance is brilliant. The two cast members that really made an impact on the big screen, though, were Ray Liotta and Michael Shannon. Ray is best known for his portrayal as the devilishly cruel mobster Henry Hill in Goodfella’s, but his performance as Roy DeMeo in this film is as evil –  if not more –  twisted! The film really showed off the acting ability of the all star cast.

The only problems I had with the film was that it didn’t show most of Richie’s murders; he killed over one hundred people and the film only picked out a few and either put the rest in a musical sequence or just didn’t include them at all. This was disappointing for people interested in the case of the Iceman. I would have preferred to see more gore and blood. Also the film doesn’t really stay in your mind – when you walk out of the cinema you can’t remember most of the scenes. Which is  disappointing for an action film.

*Spoilers*

One of my favourite scenes in the film is when Kuklinski is driving his family home in his car, lost in thought, and ends up crashing into another mans car. This man overreacts and literally screams in Richie’s face about how his family should die. Now, since Kiklinski has just been fired by the man he has been working for, he is already very angry. This scene shows this anger when he puts his family at risk by going on a high speed chase after the man who just insulted his family. A scene filled with comedy, action and fear.

Overall I would give this film a 8/10, brilliant acting and a brilliant story but it is not as memorable as I would have liked it to be. Maybe because the pace of the film varies: sometimes it goes incredibly slowly, then it skips from 1940 to 1960. If you are a fan of anyone in the cast I would recommend you go and see it. Also, if you aren’t sure about the cast, but enjoy gangster films – go see it. I guarantee you will enjoy it! But if you are looking for a film to remember, I’d avoid seeing this one.

The Iceman comes out 7th June in the UK.