A moderately entertaining black comedy

At its heart, The Ice Harvest is a contemporary film noir, and a brutal thriller with splashes of black humour throughout. Director Harold Ramis is perhaps best remembered for the bespectacled nerd in Ghostbusters. Ramis made more of an impression as a director when he helmed such films as Groundhog Day and Analyze This. The director adopts a completely different approach with The Ice Harvest. Instead of light-hearted fun, this film appears to be a dark comedy reminiscent of a Coen Brothers creation (like Fargo). The initial two thirds of the film are overflowing with humorous moments, but the final act is frankly something from the classic film noir genre. Love, betrayal, and murder...all the elements are present.

The Ice Harvest appears to be struggling in its attempt to marry the genres of dark comedy and a thriller. There are several notable moments of ingenious humour for sure that'll keep one entertained. But the dialogue isn't as adequately snappy as we've previously witnessed in a Coen Brothers production or similar films. There are various other script flaws to be pointed out, like the senseless violence and the indescribable stupidity at times, but at least you're guaranteed to find yourself entertained and having loads of fun.

In the ice-covered terrain of Wichita, Kansas, it's Christmas Eve. Charlie Arglist (Cusack) is an attorney for the sleazy businessman in Wichita. He and his unsavoury partner Vic Cavanaugh (Thornton) successfully embezzle over $2 million from notorious Kansas City gangster Bill Guerrard (Quaid). It seems like the perfect crime, however both Charlie and Vic are stuck in Wichita until the instigation of their plan to escape town the next morning. The trouble is that with torrential rain and other inconvenient weather conditions, they're stuck in town until further notice. Even worse is that Charlie and Vic must leave town before Guerrard finds out about the massive embezzlement.
Charlie soon becomes interested in Renata (Nielsen) who runs a strip club. He pleads Renata to depart town and run away with him, but she'll only flee with him if she sees the money and is guaranteed of wealth. However, Vic has the money hidden...and Vic isn't the most trustworthy of individuals. This night before Christmas becomes filled with non-stop twists, turns and eccentric characters.

The creative team involved with The Ice Harvest is an aspect that fuelled my interest. With talented director Ramis and a great cast including John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton among many others, it's hard to imagine a faulty product. The cast certainly carry the film skilfully. John Cusack exudes a low-key charm. As always, he's a pleasure to watch and is capable of delivering snappy dialogue. Billy Bob Thornton emanates a discreet sliminess. At times he's very sinister and solemn, but he's still frequently very funny. Thornton elevates the mediocre script. Unfortunately he's relatively underutilised and his fans may be dissatisfied at his diminutive quantity of screen-time. Oliver Platt is also worth mentioning. Platt is hilarious as a character that's recurrently drunk and foul-mouthed. It's arduous not to laugh at his mannerisms.

The script and story of The Ice Harvest is above average. The story is original and the script compliments this with a distinct style of black humour. The grandest form of black humour is when it's possible to chuckle at awkward situations. You'll certainly uncover plenty of those moments. The cast deliver the dialogue with straight faces and in all sincerity. That alone is worth a laugh! Other memorable laughs are simply provided by some inappropriately crude dialogue. In contrast, the script fails when the third act thrusts into action. Things become increasingly stupid, and the brutality of the proceedings is more shocking than amusing. Still, the film is at least a lot of fun.

Overall, The Ice Harvest is a decent black comedy that is perceptibly inspired by Fargo or other films of the Coen Brothers. By no means is this a masterpiece, but it unquestionably entertains. The film is unfairly unobserved and underrated. Overlook the flaws as they're not too distracting, and you'll have a great time.

7.1/10