3 Short Paragraphs: The Ice Road

2021, Jonathan Hensleigh (Kill the Irishman) -- download/Netflix

Yep, Ice Road Truckers the movie. Liam Neeson (Rob Roy) returns as yet another aging man in a difficult situation who rises to the call. Mike McCann is a long distance trucker in North Dakota who loses yet another job, because his brother Gurty, beset with PTSD and verbal aphasia, draws the ire of fellow truckers, and Mike responds with fists. We are supposed to think of Gurty as mentally challenged, but the underlying plot of challenges with his recovery and the American veteran system is muddy at best. With nothing left, Mike takes a call to join a convoy on a dangerous but critical trip to northern Manitoba, to deliver equipment that will be used to rescue miners trapped under a collapse. The clock is ticking and the truckers will be forced over the Spring thawing ice roads.

That Mike can drive from North Dakota into Manitoba to take a job is weird -- does the idea of cross border truckers just exist? Either way, they know its going to be dangerous but the insurance company is going to shell out $200k to be split between Mike, his brother (trip mechanic), a young woman named Tantoo (whose brother is one of the trapped miners; Amber Midthunder, Legion) and the leader, Jim Goldenrod (Lawrence Fishburne, Hannibal). And a company actuary joins to monitor the trip. Weird flex, but OK. But, twist! Twist because just the excitement and danger of traveling the ice road is definitely not enough, despite there being an entire TV series dedicated to it. No, there is nefarious intent at work here, and the actuary is actually an Evil Thug sent along to make sure things go wrong. Evil Mine Executives have cut corners and caused the collapse, but if nobody is rescued, it will all be washed away in the tragedy. 

This was straight-up straight-to-tape level action and intrigue with melodramatic action and overtly melodramatic deaths, especially with the quick death of Goldenrod, but I guess that is the point of Big Names taking terrible roles, in that they can get in and get out quick with their money. The rest of the movie, once Jim dies, is about getting to the mine on time, despite Evil Thugs and his Mooks and lost trucks and constant danger, but not from the ice so much. Everyone puts in their best tense faces and shouts in anger, but even Neeson is just along for the ride. This was not a good movie.

P.S. I love how terrible that poster is, Neeson with a gun, implying he is once again the man with a particular set of skills, which he is, its just that they are Driving a Truck, not shooting a gun.