American trucker Mike McCann (Liam Neeson) is struggling to care for his mechanic brother Gurty (Marcus Thomas), a former soldier with brain issues. He gets a needed job opportunity from Jim Goldenrod (Laurence Fishburne). A diamond mine in northern Manitoba has a cave-in. Needed drilling equipment is getting trucked in over the ice road despite being weeks after the driving season. The ice is thinning and the operation is full of dangers. Tantoo (Amber Midthunder) is the third driver and Tom Varnay (Benjamin Walker) is the company man joining the trip.
I don't see the premise making sense. There has to be an easier way to create a villain. As a cover-up, this is way too complicated and way too murdering. I do like the trucking action but the weird evil corporation makes no sense. The story could still work but it would work better with fewer bad guys. It's always weird when a random corporation has a professional hit team willing to kill on demand. It's also unnecessary to have the awkward underground drama. Keep it on the ice road. As for our main characters, there are a couple of uncomfortable scenes of Mike dealing with Gurty. Liam Neeson has an intensity which can translate into anger during times of frustration. That's a pitfall for him. All in all, the trucking action is better than I expected even with some pedestrian CGI but the story is much more problematic.
