REASONS TO GO: A strong performance by Michael Shannon. In fact, it’s a solid follower in it’s footsteps. While Vromen is no Scorsese and this no Goodfellas it nonetheless doesn’t disgrace the genre created by that film. He may well be this generation’s De Niro – not a traditional leading man sort but who elevates every movie he’s in. It’s Shannon however who carries the movie and he does so with ease. This is strongly acted throughout, from the barely-recognizable Evans to Franco in a brief cameo. In fact the performances are what makes the movie. Liotta gets a standard Ray Liotta crime figure and does with it what he usually does, which also adds to the overall quality of the picture. Schwimmer is the anti-Ross here, stocky with a hippie ponytail, a 70s porn star moustache and a mean streak, although there is a bit of Ross-like nebbishness as he begins to realize he is in far over his head. There’s nothing wrong if she doesn’t know there’s anything wrong, so she chooses to ignore it until it’s right in her face. She knows that her husband is hiding something horrible, but chooses to ignore it.
Ryder, who has been an infrequent screen presence of late, is absolutely amazing as the willfully oblivious Deborah. It’s a marvelous juxtaposition that gives the character depth that the real Richie probably didn’t have. Shannon gives Richie at least some personality, with cold eyes that erupt into volcanic fury when pushed. He was more or less a psychopath who was paid for crimes he probably would have committed eventually in any case. The real Richie was by all accounts a strong, silent type who wasn’t much of a communicator. Shannon, an Oscar nominee, shows that there are many more of those on the way (and likely a statuette somewhere down the line) with a powerful performance here which is doubly commendable because he doesn’t have a lot to work with. While the story remains pretty typical, the acting here is superb. He was also a family man who’s arrest stunned his neighborhood.
Yes, Richie Kuklinski was a real person who claims to have killed between 100-250 people during his heyday from 1948 to 1986. This is pretty standard stuff for the true mob killer movie. When Roy brings in Leonard Marks (Davi) from one of the big crime families in New York, it looks like Richie’s days are numbered but Roy and Marks have forgotten one prime directive – never ever piss off a contract killer. When DeMeo finds out about Richie’s new freelancing scheme, he goes ballistic which doesn’t bode well for Richie’s future state of health. It is for the latter practice that Richie is given the nickname “The Iceman.” He teaches Richie the proper use of cyanide and the trick of freezing bodies and then thawing them before dumping them, throwing police off on the correct time of death. Freezy (Evans), a freelance contract killer who works out of an ice cream truck. As money gets tighter and Richie’s temper gets more volatile, Richie hooks up with Mr. When a coke deal is botched by Josh who kills the dealers involved, Roy is forced to lay low for awhile, leaving Richie unemployed. This is the start for a whole new career for Richie as he ices guys on Roy’s say-so. Roy and his buddy Josh Rosenthal (Schwimmer) take Richie out and order him to kill some random homeless guy which he does. The mobster who runs the porn operation Richie is working for – Roy DeMeo (Liotta) – is impressed by Richie’s coolness under fire, so he decides to take Richie on as a contract killer. He works dubbing films – cartoons he tells his wife but porn films in reality. Richie Kuklinski (Shannon) is a family man, married to the beautiful but volatile Deborah (Ryder). It’s a job for them, no less upsetting than someone who sells cars for a living. These are men with ice in their veins, able to kill without remorse or emotion. Contract killers are another case altogether. It’s always the quiet ones, the ones who lose it and go on a killing spree. (2012) True Crime Drama (Millennium) Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, Chris Evans, Ray Liotta, David Schwimmer, Robert Davi James Franco, Stephen Dorff, Danny Abeckaser, John Ventimiglia, Ryan O’Nan, McKaley Miller, Megan Sherrill, Hector Hank, Zoran Radanovich, Shira Vilensky, Kelly Lind, Erin Cumings, Ashlynn Ross, Weronika Rosati, Christa Campbell. Michael Shannon has a unique way of firing his agents.
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