The Ice Harvest
Encyclopedia
The Ice Harvest is a 2005 dark comedy/drama
film directed by Harold Ramis
and written by Richard Russo
and Robert Benton
, based on the novel of the same name
by Scott Phillips
. It stars John Cusack
, Billy Bob Thornton
, Connie Nielsen, Randy Quaid
, and Oliver Platt
. It is distributed by Focus Features
, and the DVD
was released on February 28, 2006.
in Wichita, Kansas
, mob lawyer Charlie Arglist (John Cusack
) and crooked businessman and pornographer Vic Cavanaugh (Billy Bob Thornton
) gather together the $2 million dollars they have stolen from their mob boss Bill Guerrard (Randy Quaid
). While it initially appears that there will be an easy getaway for the pair, they learn that the roads in and out of the city are too icy to drive on. Vic takes the cash for safe-keeping and they split up and try their best to evade being captured by Guerrard and his men, who have discovered their scheme.
Charlie visits Sweet Cage, a local strip-club, owned by Renata Crest (Connie Nielsen), a woman whom Charlie has long lusted for, and she quickly deciphers that he's hiding something. He hints at the existence of the money, and she suggests they go off together. Before they can do that, however, she tasks Charlie to find an incriminating picture of a local politician, at a hotel. Charlie goes there and runs into his friend Pete (Oliver Platt
), who is married to Charlie's beautiful ex-wife. Pete is very drunk, and tags along with Charlie for as long as it takes for Pete to pass out.
Charlie goes back to Renata and gives her the photo, and she tells him that Vic had called her earlier and said that Charlie had been right about mob enforcer Roy Gelles (Mike Starr
) tailing the two of them. Charlie goes to Vic's house and finds Vic's wife dead. Vic arrives and reveals that he's locked Roy in an industrial trunk. The two stuff Roy, in the trunk, in Charlie's ex-wife's Mercedes (which Charlie borrows after Pete vomits in Charlie's Lincoln) and head for a local lake. On the way, Roy continues yelling at the two of them, and Vic gets annoyed and shoots at the trunk. Charlie and Vic get the trunk down to the dock, but it's shot open from the inside and Roy gets out, shooting Vic in the process. A shootout ensues, ending with Roy dead and Vic fallen into the frozen lake. Charlie realizes that Vic was going to kill Charlie and take the money for himself, and leaves Vic to die.
Returning to Sweet Cage, Charlie finds that Bill Guerrard himself has come and tied Renata up. Charlie finds a shotgun in the bar and turns it on Guerrard. Another shootout ensues, with Charlie being injured and Guerrard killed. Charlie and Renata go back to her house, and Charlie finds the money hidden there. It's revealed via flashback that Vic and Renata were planning to go off together after Vic had killed Charlie. Charlie kills Renata just before she can kill him.
Charlie and Pete then drive off together, deciding to make new names for themselves.
collaborator Bill Murray
was reportedly offered a role. Monica Bellucci
was originally set to play the role of Renata, but had to leave due to her pregnancy. Ramis almost had to close production for a day due to the weather, which would have spoiled his tradition of never losing a shooting day.
The film is based on the Scott Phillips
novel The Ice Harvest
. Filming took place exclusively in Illinois
, on a $16,000,000 budget.
.
James Bernadelli of ReelReviews gave the film 2 and a half stars out of four, saying, "Despite its brevity, it seems padded, with all sorts of irrelevant scenes and dead-end subplots taking up time. [...] Next time, Ramis should work to his strengths, and film noir isn't one of them. The Ice Harvest will have melted away long before the turkey leftovers are polished off."
Roger Ebert
gave the film 3 out of 4 stars and said: "I liked the movie for the quirky way it pursues humor through the drifts of greed, lust, booze, betrayal and spectacularly complicated ways to die. I liked it for Charlie's essential kindness, as when he pauses during a getaway to help a friend who has run out of gas. And for the scene-stealing pathos of Oliver Platt's drunk, who like many drunks in the legal profession achieves a rhetorical grandiosity during the final approach to oblivion. And I liked especially the way Roy, the man in the trunk, keeps on thinking positively, even after Vic puts bullets through both ends of the trunk because he can't remember which end of the trunk Roy's head is at. Maybe it's in the middle."
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
film directed by Harold Ramis
Harold Ramis
Harold Allen Ramis is an American actor, director, and writer, specializing in comedy. His best-known film acting roles are as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters and Russell Ziskey in Stripes , both of which he also co-wrote...
and written by Richard Russo
Richard Russo
Richard Russo is an American novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and teacher.-Early life and education:Russo was born in Johnstown, New York, and raised in nearby Gloversville...
and Robert Benton
Robert Benton
Robert Douglas Benton is an American screenwriter and film director.Benton was born in Waxahachie, Texas, the son of Dorothy and Ellery Douglass Benton, a telephone company employee. He attended the University of Texas and Columbia University. Benton has won numerous awards for both writing and...
, based on the novel of the same name
The Ice Harvest (novel)
The Ice Harvest is a debut novel by Scott Phillips. The story, set in 1979, was published to wide acclaim in 2000.- Plot summary :It is Christmas Eve in Wichita, Kansas and snowing steadily. The streets are deserted, traffic is light and most people have returned home for the start of the festivities...
by Scott Phillips
Scott Phillips (writer)
Scott Phillips is an American writer of crime fiction in the noir tradition. He was born in Wichita, Kansas, and lived for several years in France, working as a translator and photographer; then in California as a screenwriter, co-writing a 1996 straight-to-video thriller called Crosscut.His...
. It stars John Cusack
John Cusack
John Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,...
, Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton is an American actor, screenwriter, director and musician. Thornton gained early recognition as a cast member on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire and in several early 1990s films including On Deadly Ground and Tombstone...
, Connie Nielsen, Randy Quaid
Randy Quaid
Randall Rudy "Randy" Quaid is an American actor perhaps best known for his role as Cousin Eddie in the National Lampoon's Vacation movies, as well as his numerous supporting roles in films, including his Oscar nominated performance in The Last Detail, Independence Day, Kingpin and Brokeback Mountain...
, and Oliver Platt
Oliver Platt
Oliver James Platt is a Canadian-American actor. He is currently starring in the Showtime original series, The Big C with Laura Linney.-Early life:...
. It is distributed by Focus Features
Focus Features
Focus Features is the art house films division of NBC Universal's Universal Pictures, and acts as both a producer and distributor for its own films and a distributor for foreign films....
, and the DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
was released on February 28, 2006.
Plot
On Christmas EveChristmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, mob lawyer Charlie Arglist (John Cusack
John Cusack
John Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,...
) and crooked businessman and pornographer Vic Cavanaugh (Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton is an American actor, screenwriter, director and musician. Thornton gained early recognition as a cast member on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire and in several early 1990s films including On Deadly Ground and Tombstone...
) gather together the $2 million dollars they have stolen from their mob boss Bill Guerrard (Randy Quaid
Randy Quaid
Randall Rudy "Randy" Quaid is an American actor perhaps best known for his role as Cousin Eddie in the National Lampoon's Vacation movies, as well as his numerous supporting roles in films, including his Oscar nominated performance in The Last Detail, Independence Day, Kingpin and Brokeback Mountain...
). While it initially appears that there will be an easy getaway for the pair, they learn that the roads in and out of the city are too icy to drive on. Vic takes the cash for safe-keeping and they split up and try their best to evade being captured by Guerrard and his men, who have discovered their scheme.
Charlie visits Sweet Cage, a local strip-club, owned by Renata Crest (Connie Nielsen), a woman whom Charlie has long lusted for, and she quickly deciphers that he's hiding something. He hints at the existence of the money, and she suggests they go off together. Before they can do that, however, she tasks Charlie to find an incriminating picture of a local politician, at a hotel. Charlie goes there and runs into his friend Pete (Oliver Platt
Oliver Platt
Oliver James Platt is a Canadian-American actor. He is currently starring in the Showtime original series, The Big C with Laura Linney.-Early life:...
), who is married to Charlie's beautiful ex-wife. Pete is very drunk, and tags along with Charlie for as long as it takes for Pete to pass out.
Charlie goes back to Renata and gives her the photo, and she tells him that Vic had called her earlier and said that Charlie had been right about mob enforcer Roy Gelles (Mike Starr
Mike Starr (actor)
Michael "Mike" Starr is an American actor. Starr is notable for his large size, standing 6 ft 3 1/2 in , and has typically been typecast as thugs or henchmen....
) tailing the two of them. Charlie goes to Vic's house and finds Vic's wife dead. Vic arrives and reveals that he's locked Roy in an industrial trunk. The two stuff Roy, in the trunk, in Charlie's ex-wife's Mercedes (which Charlie borrows after Pete vomits in Charlie's Lincoln) and head for a local lake. On the way, Roy continues yelling at the two of them, and Vic gets annoyed and shoots at the trunk. Charlie and Vic get the trunk down to the dock, but it's shot open from the inside and Roy gets out, shooting Vic in the process. A shootout ensues, ending with Roy dead and Vic fallen into the frozen lake. Charlie realizes that Vic was going to kill Charlie and take the money for himself, and leaves Vic to die.
Returning to Sweet Cage, Charlie finds that Bill Guerrard himself has come and tied Renata up. Charlie finds a shotgun in the bar and turns it on Guerrard. Another shootout ensues, with Charlie being injured and Guerrard killed. Charlie and Renata go back to her house, and Charlie finds the money hidden there. It's revealed via flashback that Vic and Renata were planning to go off together after Vic had killed Charlie. Charlie kills Renata just before she can kill him.
Charlie and Pete then drive off together, deciding to make new names for themselves.
Cast
- John CusackJohn CusackJohn Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,...
as Charlie Arglist, a mob lawyer. - Billy Bob ThorntonBilly Bob ThorntonBilly Bob Thornton is an American actor, screenwriter, director and musician. Thornton gained early recognition as a cast member on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire and in several early 1990s films including On Deadly Ground and Tombstone...
as Vic Cavanaugh, a gangster, Charlie's partner. - Connie Nielsen as Renata Crest, a strip-club owner whom Charlie has long lusted after.
- Randy QuaidRandy QuaidRandall Rudy "Randy" Quaid is an American actor perhaps best known for his role as Cousin Eddie in the National Lampoon's Vacation movies, as well as his numerous supporting roles in films, including his Oscar nominated performance in The Last Detail, Independence Day, Kingpin and Brokeback Mountain...
as Bill Guerrard, a gangster/mob boss in Kansas. - Oliver PlattOliver PlattOliver James Platt is a Canadian-American actor. He is currently starring in the Showtime original series, The Big C with Laura Linney.-Early life:...
as Pete Van Heuten, Charlie's drunk friend, who is currently married to Charlie's ex-wife - Mike StarrMike Starr (actor)Michael "Mike" Starr is an American actor. Starr is notable for his large size, standing 6 ft 3 1/2 in , and has typically been typecast as thugs or henchmen....
as Roy Gelles, an enforcer for Bill Guerrard. - Ned BellamyNed BellamyNed Bellamy is an American actor.Bellamy was born in Dayton, Ohio. After graduating UCLA, he founded the Los Angeles based theater company The Actors' Gang with fellow actor Tim Robbins....
as Sidney, the bartender at Sweet Cage, the strip-club Renata owns.
Production
Frequent Harold RamisHarold Ramis
Harold Allen Ramis is an American actor, director, and writer, specializing in comedy. His best-known film acting roles are as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters and Russell Ziskey in Stripes , both of which he also co-wrote...
collaborator Bill Murray
Bill Murray
William James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
was reportedly offered a role. Monica Bellucci
Monica Bellucci
Monica Anna Maria Bellucci is an Italian actress and fashion model.-Early life:Bellucci was born in Città di Castello, Umbria, Italy as the only child of Luigi Bellucci, who was born in the British protectorate of Zanzibar, East Pakistan...
was originally set to play the role of Renata, but had to leave due to her pregnancy. Ramis almost had to close production for a day due to the weather, which would have spoiled his tradition of never losing a shooting day.
The film is based on the Scott Phillips
Scott Phillips (writer)
Scott Phillips is an American writer of crime fiction in the noir tradition. He was born in Wichita, Kansas, and lived for several years in France, working as a translator and photographer; then in California as a screenwriter, co-writing a 1996 straight-to-video thriller called Crosscut.His...
novel The Ice Harvest
The Ice Harvest (novel)
The Ice Harvest is a debut novel by Scott Phillips. The story, set in 1979, was published to wide acclaim in 2000.- Plot summary :It is Christmas Eve in Wichita, Kansas and snowing steadily. The streets are deserted, traffic is light and most people have returned home for the start of the festivities...
. Filming took place exclusively in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, on a $16,000,000 budget.
Reception
The Ice Harvest grossed $US10,156,968, of which $US9,016,782 was from the United States. It has a 46% rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
James Bernadelli of ReelReviews gave the film 2 and a half stars out of four, saying, "Despite its brevity, it seems padded, with all sorts of irrelevant scenes and dead-end subplots taking up time. [...] Next time, Ramis should work to his strengths, and film noir isn't one of them. The Ice Harvest will have melted away long before the turkey leftovers are polished off."
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave the film 3 out of 4 stars and said: "I liked the movie for the quirky way it pursues humor through the drifts of greed, lust, booze, betrayal and spectacularly complicated ways to die. I liked it for Charlie's essential kindness, as when he pauses during a getaway to help a friend who has run out of gas. And for the scene-stealing pathos of Oliver Platt's drunk, who like many drunks in the legal profession achieves a rhetorical grandiosity during the final approach to oblivion. And I liked especially the way Roy, the man in the trunk, keeps on thinking positively, even after Vic puts bullets through both ends of the trunk because he can't remember which end of the trunk Roy's head is at. Maybe it's in the middle."