Ice Men (2004)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Thom Best

Writer:

Michael MacLennan (writer)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

For the first time since taking possession of the family cabin, Vaughn has invited his best friends up for a winter weekend of hunting and drinking...

Plot Keywords:

Cabin | Birthday | Hot Tub | Gay Interest | Photographer

Cast

David Hewlett	...	Bryan
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Martin Cummins	...	Vaughn
Galen Dineen	...	Young Boy
Henry Dineen	...	Young Boy
Thea Gill	...	Jennifer
Justin Heeley	...	Young Boy
Keith Jackson	...	Young Boy
Brandy Ledford	...	Renee
Travis Ryder	...	Young Boy
Greg Spottiswood	...	Jon
James Thomas	...	Steve
Ian Tracey	...	Trevor

Runtime:

Canada:108 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Canada:14A

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Black Walk Productions

Starts off a little slow, but draws you in.

When the movie first started, it seemed a little slow moving in terms of character development and it felt like some of the lines were contrived and just weak. I found myself thinking, ho hum...is this going to be another mediocre film by Wolfe Video? (Not all their stuff is bad, but some of it is terrible.) Fortunately, after a few minutes, the stories of the characters begin to unfold and we begin to get a sense of identifying with each of them, who they are, and why they have come together. I say "each of them" because I'm a man and can see a little part of myself in each of these characters (whether now or in the past). I won't give any of the story away--there are some very tense scenes; however, they are well done. The bright spot is that this film is an insightful look at how men interact with each other sometimes, they way we think as men and hide things...not just from women, but from other men as well as from ourselves, even to our own detriment. Deep down, all men are searching for acceptance.

While I wouldn't call this an uplifting film, it's also not a downer either. We are left with good feelings. Admittedly, I do think there could have been a bit more character/story resolution in the end with some of the characters. We're left hanging in some ways...but then again, life is also like that at times, ie: sometimes, things in life happen that we as humans are just not able to resolve, and again, as men, our way of resolving them is just to bury them and not talk about them.

While not the next big Oscar winner, I definitely found this a good, solid, watchable film, and would recommend it. Great performances by all the actors, but Ian Tracey really shines as Trevor. His outstanding performance throughout really helps bring the whole ensemble together. I could not imagine this film working as well as it did without him as Trevor. A+