The Ice Road (2021)

The Ice Road (2021)

5/10

Starring

Liam Neeson

Benjamin Walker

Amber Midthunder

Marcus Thomas

Holt McCallany

 

Directed by Jonathan Hensleigh

 

Contains Spoilers

There is a thing like just doing it for the money, I believe that is where we are with Liam Neeson. There must be something we movie lovers are missing, because he never seems to run out of movies to star in, and most of them are just a mess.

The Ice Road is another Neeson action flick where our hero goes up against a company willing to do anything to cover up their crooked dealings. The movie is as cold as the terrain where it’s set. Like most of Neeson’s recent films, he fits the role perfectly and puts his all into it, but the writing falls flat. The movie lacks the necessary thrill. Sure, there’s action in its own subtle way, but the excitement just doesn’t hit the mark.

This film is highly predictable, especially after the first third. The moment you understand the company’s true stance on the rescue and where all the characters fit, you can pretty much guess how everything will unfold.

The most engaging aspect of the movie lies in the deaths that occur during the rescue attempt. Unfortunately, the movie concludes the way many of these types of films do, leaving little behind to make you feel like you’ve just watched an action-thriller.

The main twist is that the rescue mission takes a backseat to the bigger plot.

The story begins in a Canadian mine, where an explosion traps twenty-six miners underground. To save them, the methane line that caused the explosion must be capped. The twist? The explosion wasn’t supposed to happen—the methane sensors in the mine had been turned off.

The mining company and their insurance provider hire a team to deliver three wellheads needed to save the miners. Neeson’s character, Mike, is one of the drivers tasked with transporting the equipment through a treacherous ice road. The expedition is led by Jim (Laurence Fishburne), and their team includes Mike’s brother (serving as the mechanic in Mike’s rig), Tantoo (another driver), and someone from the insurance company.

Initially, everything seems legit as the journey begins. But tragedy strikes—they lose one of the trucks, tensions rise, and the team starts to accuse one another. That’s when the script flips, revealing that the company isn’t clean and has no intention of doing whatever it takes to save the miners.

You can catch this movie on Netflix (U.S.) and Amazon (U.K.). Don’t expect much from Laurence Fishburne here; his character meets an unfortunate fate less than halfway through the film.