This is basically a low-budget version of Die Hard and similar action movies, although the setting this time is a ski resort and the hero is Sean Astin, in a part similar to the one he played in Toy Soldiers. It's very low-budget, so the special f/x aren't the best in the business, but they get the job done. This one would definitely fall under the "guilty pleasures" category, thanks to some entertaining scenes (especially a nice chase scene involving snowboards, machine guns, a gondola, and of course a trigger to a nuclear bomb). The other thing that makes Icebreaker a fun little watch is an entertaining performance by Bruce Campbell, as the Alan Rickman-like villain, although the character seems to have no motivation for his actions other than the fact that he's dying (of what we never find out), and he wants to take a lot of people out with him. Why it is that his henchmen go along with this is unclear, since they clearly value their lives. However, Campbell gets some funny lines and, as always, is fun to watch. The downside: a lot of the supporting characters (Astin's boss, a forest ranger/ sidekick) are supposed to be quirky, but often just get on your nerves. And the movie's damsel in distress (i.e., Astin's fiance) has one of the most annoying smiles I've ever seen. But overall, it's an entertaining, late-night-cable kind of movie, as long as you take everything with a grain of salt.
Review of Icebreaker
