Now considered a modern-day Charles Bronson by many, Liam Neeson’s action film future is constantly being discussed in terms of the longevity it has left. Now 69, many are wondering how much longer he can keep wielding those particular sets of skills but if his latest effort is anything to go by, we’d say he has a lot more petrol left in the tank, and as the near 79-year-old Harrison Ford is donning the hat and bullwhip to ride again as Indy, we must remember that age-old cinema rule: you cannot keep a good action hero down. Even in freeze your nips off weather it seems! Which is where The Ice Road comes in, as Liam is once again doing battle out in the cold.
After an explosion at a mine in Manitoba traps 26 miners underground with a dwindling air supply, there is a brief crucial window in which to mount an ambitious rescue mission to free them. This rescue involves a group of truckers being gathered to brave the perilous ice roads out of season, circumnavigating the precarious environment to deliver some life-saving wellheads. But the climate is not all that stands in their way, as a greed-fuelled cruel conspiracy may be at play.
In the Neeson Season sub-genre, we have seen amnesiac Neeson, snow plough Neeson, angry dad Neeson, detective Neeson, air marshall Neeson, commuter Neeson and even kind-hearted criminal Neeson, and his latest outing is yet another enjoyable entry into that highly entertaining catalogue of rugged heroes, proving Neeson is really one of the best and most reliably great action stars of our time. And long may it last say we!
Once more, we have one of his films here relishing harking back (even in the admittedly dated special effects) to 90s high concept cinema blasts (think Hard Rain). The Ice Road is just the right kind of ridiculous though, from the corporate scum bag villains to the icy fistfights, it’s a harsh weather off-road action thriller that feels like a cross between Tony Scott’s Unstoppable and History’s Ice Road Truckers. With maybe a dash of Armageddon.
This part rescue/part revenge/part brotherhood story may be predictable in many ways. For instance, the baddies can be seen coming about 30 miles off and certain scenes feel token to this type of working hero yarn. But the film is so entertaining with all this material, and effectively human with the presentation of its characters, that it never crashes inescapably and irredeemably through the ice into the waters of utterly distracting implausibility. It remains fast fun, with constant against all odds turmoil and a genuine heart beneath the ice fracturing set pieces.
Neeson as ever is a great lead and is accompanied by heartfelt supporting turns from Marcus Thomas as his PTSD and aphasia suffering veteran brother Gurty (the soul of the entire film) and Amber Midthunder as the rebellious Tantoo, a woman who tells it how it is and feels a duty to fight the flawed world as it currently stands. It’s also nice to see Laurence Fishburne here, in a more limited role, as the man bringing together this ragtag crew of drivers for this seemingly impossible rescue.
You know exactly what you want here, and writer/director Jonathan Hensleigh (in his first film in 10 years) seems to too, and delivers the goods entertainment-wise. However, in prioritising the film’s heart and proud working-class spirit, he also gives us a rousing tribute to real people who come together and just do it, as well as a timely middle finger to those greedy corporate powers that love the old cashola above everything and everyone else.
Enjoy the ride.
THE ICE ROAD is out on DVD/Blu-ray from Jan 10th
