The trucks hit dangerous ground. The Ice Road.

The Ice Road – When an explosion traps 26 miners in Manitoba, a mission to deliver a wellhead to rescue them is launched from Winnipeg. The only way to get the equipment there in time is to use trucks on a treacherous Ice Road. A race against time and terrain ensues, can the saviours get there before the injured miners run out of oxygen, and will the ice hold out?

The Ice Road (2021) – Director: Jonathan Hensleigh

Is The Ice Road appropriate for kids?

Rating: 12

Running Length: 109 mins

Starring: Liam Neeson, Marcus Thomas, Amber Midthunder

Genres: Action, Thriller

REVIEW: ‘THE ICE ROAD’

Liam Neeson has clearly been keen to shake off his invincible, hard-man persona (see ‘Non-Stop‘, ‘Taken 3‘, etc) and has made a concerted effort in recent years to portray far more down-to-earth/everyman characters. The Ice Road is no exception and sees Neeson as a man (Mike) trying to make a living whilst lovingly burdened by his disabled brother (Gurty, played by Marcus Thomas) who can’t function alone. The pair work beautifully together; their genuine love quickly evidence and any frustrations Mike has are soon tempered by his kindness . Mike’s head is full of plans for the future for him and Gurty.

For those readers who are unaware, ‘Ice Roads’ are man-made roads formed over large stretches of water which can support the weight of large trucks and their cargo. The roads are extremely dangerous to navigate with wrong moves leading to fatal accidents. ‘The Ice Road’ fully exploits the inherent tension in this terrain, where the floor beneath you could fatally collapse at any moment.

Solid foundations are laid for an exciting movie with a few twists and turns but what really sets ‘The Ice Road’ apart are the characters. Mike and Gurty aside, the other members of the convoy are believable and engaging, even if some of their actions are somewhat contrived (and nudge into over-the-top villain behaviour). As tense as traversing ice can be it, alone it can bear the brunt of the whole movie so so bringing in a baddie helps to move the plot along.

Enjoyable and exciting, ‘The Ice Road’ ticks all the boxes needed for an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride. This movie doesn’t get the cold shoulder from us!

CONTENT: IS ‘THE ICE ROAD’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

The movie opens with a description of what an Ice Road is and it states that truck drivers often call journeys across them ‘suicide missions’.

There is an explosion in a mine. Several characters who have just been introduced are caught up in it and may have been killed. Later, we see them alive but many have been badly injured, including a man pinned down by a large rock. No blood is shown.

Mike and Gurty are brothers who work together. Gurty suffers from a cognitive disability and is called a ‘retard’ several times by another character. This enrages Mike who hits the man in the face with a flask. Mike is fired for this and it appears no action is taken against the other man.

Due to Mike being unable to keep a job as Gurty is so reliant on him, he takes Gurty to a facility to be looked after full time. Gurty is worried about this but Mike tells him ‘Hey, don’t be a big baby.’ He does this in a kind way. Later, Mike discovers a doctor trying to give Gurty unnecessary medication and has to fight to keep him safe.

On the Ice Road, one of the trucks breaks down. It has been established in an earlier conversation that if a truck goes too slow or stops it can fall through the ice. This leads to the characters desperately trying to get the truck moving again. However tragedy strikes and a character is forced to make a difficult decision.

During a fight, a man punches a woman in the face which knocks her unconscious.

A character falls through the ice and another has to jump in to save him. The camera stays above the ice for around 5 seconds before they resurface. The character who fell in looks dead – they have stopping breathing and it is unclear whether they will be saved.

Several henchmen try to use deadly force in order to stop the trucks. One falls under the truck and the camera shows him going under one of the wheels. Another is killed by an established character who chokes him until he stops moving.

A truck crashes and a large tree branch can be seen sticking out of the drivers’ side window. The person inside is badly injured and some blood is seen around their wound. Another character pulls out the branch quickly and a ‘snap’ is heard. The injured person cries out in pain but is otherwise ok.

A character is crushed by a truck and their bones can be heard cracking. Another character holds them and is devastated when they die.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

 

VERDICT: IS ‘THE ICE ROAD’ FOR KIDS?
  • Violence: 3/5 (a few brief fights. A woman is punched unconscious. Some men attack the protagonists with the intention of killing them. A man kills another but this is done in self defence.)
  • Emotional Distress: 3/5 (there are a few deaths, characters are mourned briefly but the emotional aspect is not dwelt upon)
  • Fear Factor: 2/5 (the trucks are often in danger of falling through the ice)
  • Sexual Content: 0/5
  • Bad Language: 4/5 (moderate cursing, a strong word is used)
  • Dialogue: 4/5 (characters discuss murdering others in order to protect themselves)
  • Other Notes: Deals with themes of sibling love, prejudice, disability, putting yourself in danger to help others, distrust of authority and not giving up.

Words by Laura Record

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