When the remote Katka diamond mine, collapses in the northern regions of Canada, a skilled ice truck driver called Mike (Liam Neeson), along with a small team, front a near impossible rescue mission over the dangerous and frozen ocean, to deliver the necessary equipment to save the lives of the trapped miners. Along the way, the crew face some unexpected problems, along with some predictable ones too. It’s worth noting that The Ice Road was recently released on Amazon Prime Video, and probably isn’t the worst release of 2021, but at the same time, it certainly isn’t the best.

Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Writers:  Jonathan Hensleigh
Starring: Liam Neeson, Laurence Fishburne, Marcus Thomas, Amber Midthunder

In a year that hasn’t been known for new cinematic releases, The Ice Road came as a welcomed relief to many, especially considering the fact it starred some peoples favourite old-school action hero, Liam Neeson. In terms of the story, the flick presented one that was easily comprehendible and included the classic race against time plot that many other films have successfully done in the past. With that being said, the filmmakers did manage to add their own unique spin on proceedings by including the deadly Canadian ice roads, almost as a character within itself, that in-turn, supplied one or two welcomed twists and turns along the way. I would, however, be lying if I said there weren’t some rather predictable scenes thrown into the mix too.

One thing heavily prominent throughout The Ice Road was the computer-generated imagery and special effects that went along with it, with both seeming a little hit and miss in terms of quality. Some of them looked a little cheap and plasticky, certainly not of high quality, while others were pretty passable and kept you entertained to an extent. Many of the special effects came in the form of deadly avalanches, huge explosions or sinking trucks, but one thing that I did favour, was the filming locations and general wintery feel that the movie depicted. The beautiful setting of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada was responsible for a large majority of the scenes within the flick.

With the positives, come the negatives – something that stood out in a mostly negative fashion, would have to be the script and soundtrack used. The dialogue from many of the characters seemed a little disjointed and at times, didn’t make a whole lot of sense, whereas it could also be argued that the soundtrack was overly dramatic and wildly overbearing on more than one occasion.

On the face of it, the cast seemed fairly solid with Liam Neeson and Laurence Fishburne being the two stand-out names prior to watching. The pair adopted the roles of Mike and Goldenrod, respectively, and Neeson’s character found himself spearheading the majority of the picture. Elsewhere, the support was vast, with Marcus Thomas picking up the role of Gurty and Amber Midthunder starring as Tantoo.

All in all, The Ice Road may not be the finest release of 2021 but if you’re hoping to kill some time and watch a newly released flick on Amazon Prime Video, then give this a shot. One final thing to note however, would have to be the runtime – standing at one-hundred and nine-minutes, it certainly felt much longer in length while watching, which could be down to the repetitiveness of certain action and combative scenes on display.

“Mount up. Use the head now if you have to. We’re on a bull run!”

Goldenrod – The Ice Road