The Iceman

This festival movie is based on the true story of a contract killer for the mob who managed to keep his job a secret.
Film makers love to explore the lives of killers. How someone can take human life as a job can be quite a fascinating thing to explore. Especially someone who is able to keep that life a secret. Richard Kuklinski is an interesting character as the job of killer seems very much suited to the type of person he is. Richard comes across as a dark brooding type of guy who you would not want to mess with. But in private he can be quite sweet and charming. Which is why he was able to carry on a seemingly normal life with a family while still killing people. Ariel Vromen's has made an excellent film that explores this paradox quite well. The film has the look and feel of 'Goodfellas' but on a more intimate scale. Ariel does not shy away from the brutality of what Richard does either. I suppose that's the interesting thing that a man can separate such different things in his life. It is further proof that people need to look closely at the people they love.
It is perhaps because of his very nature that Michael Shannon is always cast as nasty characters. He does play the brutal killer side of Richard brilliantly. Just the stares that he gives people makes you think that why would anyone mess with him. As brilliant as Michael is, I'm not sure he is the right choice for the role. He is perfect for the nasty side of the character but not the sweet side. I think if a more sweeter actor was cast who then turns nasty would have been a better challenge. That's just a minor quibble in my view. Winona Ryder does not appear in many films but she is choosing some great roles. As Richard's clueless wife, Winona is excellent and gives a very realist performance. Chris Evans has mostly been an action hero and nice guy so it was great to see him here as a ruthless killer. The way he disposes of bodies is interesting. The one role that really surprised me was David Schwimmer. We all know him as the sweet guy on 'Friends' but you would not expect to see him as a member of the mob.
The brilliant performance of Michael Shannon makes this film worth seeing. Even if he was slightly miscast.