Since “Taken” (2008), Neeson has had the distinction of being his own genre. A decent, honorable man turns justifiably violent when crossed — and someone always does cross him — that’s the formula. Considering that Neeson was in his mid-50s when he made “Taken,” and he’s still plausibly punching and kicking and fighting away — getting punched and kicked, too — he’s a marvel of gerontology no less than star power.
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“The Ice Road” superimposes this Neeson genre on a classic French film, “The Wages of Fear” (1953). In that movie, truckers risked their lives on a rescue mission in South America. Here it’s northern Manitoba. This has the benefit of making “The Ice Road” geographic and meteorological kin to another pillar of the Neeson genre, “The Grey” (2011). It also means we get a glimpse of the northern lights and some beautiful snowy landscapes.
Mike McCann (Neeson) and his fellow drivers are risking their lives because 26 miners have been trapped underground by an explosion. In 30 hours their oxygen runs out. The only way to deliver the necessary rescue equipment is by tractor-trailer, via ice road. “We’re three weeks into April and all my drivers are on their way to Hawaii, or wherever the hell they go in the off-season,” laments Goldenrod (yes, that’s his name — and it becomes a nice little plotline at the end of the movie). He’s the one putting together the team. As it happens, McCann is nearby, in North Dakota.
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The plot has various complications to offer. Possible skullduggery at the mine. Mike’s troubled younger brother, Gurty (Marcus Thomas). An irksome insurance guy (Benjamin Walker), who’s around because if the drivers succeed they’ll split a $200,000 reward. Arguing against their survival are the possibility of avalanches and a bridge with a sign that says “MAXIMUM WEIGHT 75,000 lbs.” This being Canada, shouldn’t the sign be bilingual? Presumably, the French would read: “UH-OH.”
The biggest complication is the ice road itself — or, rather, it being spring. The ice remains frozen. Is it frozen enough? “You go too fast, you create a pressure wave — in you go,” explains Tantoo, one of the drivers. “You go too slow, the ice can’t handle the pounds per square inch on your tire — in you go.”
Amber Midthunder, as Tantoo, has the unenviable task of playing a character who’s a checklist: female, Indigenous, and a political activist. If that isn’t enough, her brother is trapped in the mine. Midthunder brings an intensity to the role that makes her character vivid. Laurence Fishburne, as Goldenrod, is his dependable Laurence Fishburne self. In that regard, he’s a match for Neeson — not that anyone can quite match him, of course. At one point, McCann radios encouragement to another driver who’s in a tight spot. “Just hang on. We’re comin’.” Hearing those words spoken in that Neeson voice is a clear sign the embattled character can relax. The viewer can, too.
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★★½
THE ICE ROAD
Written and directed by Jonathan Hensleigh. Starring Liam Neeson, Marcus Thomas, Laurence Fishburne, Amber Midthunder, Benjamin Walker. On Netflix. 108 minutes. PG-13 (violence, language, scenes of intense peril).
Mark Feeney can be reached at mark.feeney@globe.com.
The Link LonkJune 25, 2021 at 02:01PM
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/25/arts/ice-road-netflix-puts-liam-neeson-behind-wheel/
‘The Ice Road,’ on Netflix, puts Liam Neeson behind the wheel - The Boston Globe
https://news.google.com/search?q=Wheel&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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