The Ice Road (2021) User Reviews

Liam Cage vs Nick Neeson.

[ThomDerd · 6/10 · 19 July 2021]

Not sure who is my favorite from the 2. But both seem to love the 1-man-show kind of films which have absurd and nonsensical stories.

The Ice Road is...just another Liam Neeson movie. Obviously Nick Cage would have liked to be in this one, but Liam got there first.

Realism went for vacation here. Trucks and truckers after having seen this film are probably furious with these completely wrong and unbelievable scenes.

But, that's the Hollywood magic.

So folks this ain't a documentary but an action film set in cold Canada involving trucks, mines, bad people and ice roads.

In fact, it's an enjoyable action flick.

It needs to be seen with the right amount of patience, to go through all the silly dialogue moments and the unreal truck scenes.

Maybe the cinema experience helps too.

So, switch off and you might actually enjoy it.

5,9/10.

company non-sense

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 11 August 2021]

American trucker Mike McCann (Liam Neeson) is struggling to care for his mechanic brother Gurty (Marcus Thomas), a former soldier with brain issues. He gets a needed job opportunity from Jim Goldenrod (Laurence Fishburne). A diamond mine in northern Manitoba has a cave-in. Needed drilling equipment is getting trucked in over the ice road despite being weeks after the driving season. The ice is thinning and the operation is full of dangers. Tantoo (Amber Midthunder) is the third driver and Tom Varnay (Benjamin Walker) is the company man joining the trip.

I don't see the premise making sense. There has to be an easier way to create a villain. As a cover-up, this is way too complicated and way too murdering. I do like the trucking action but the weird evil corporation makes no sense. The story could still work but it would work better with fewer bad guys. It's always weird when a random corporation has a professional hit team willing to kill on demand. It's also unnecessary to have the awkward underground drama. Keep it on the ice road. As for our main characters, there are a couple of uncomfortable scenes of Mike dealing with Gurty. Liam Neeson has an intensity which can translate into anger during times of frustration. That's a pitfall for him. All in all, the trucking action is better than I expected even with some pedestrian CGI but the story is much more problematic.

Watchable but predictible and very bad cgi for 2021

[ngru-vlad-139-107363 · 5/10 · 25 June 2021]

Watchable but predictible and very bad cgi for 2021.

Not bad - suspenseful and interesting

[wsawyer2 · 6/10 · 5 July 2021]

I went into this screening with low expectations, because I had been told it was not a particularly good film. And, yes, some parts are just a bit hoaky, some characters are stereotypes, and there are some inconsequential goofs (dry clothing in the truck cab, after full immersion in the lake).

BUT, all that aside, the movie kept us on the edge of our seats for much of the time. It was an enjoyable evening / after-dinner movie! And, it is frankly much better than quite a few rather lame films that have come out, with thunderous publicity, in the last 18 months.

The plot involves a rescue mission, directed at saving workers in a collaposed mine. There are quite a few surprises (not outlined here, lest the comments become spoilers), so the plot is not particularly predictable. The all-too-common 'hyper-angst' that is frquently used in such movies is kept reasonably in check, so the action, and plot twists are at the forefront. Yes, there are several 'personal' storylines going on that form a backbone of the plot. But, they actually contribute to the suspense, rather than detract from it.

Better than Expected

[lochlip · 7/10 · 27 June 2021]

I nearly didn't watch this after reading the scathing reviews on here. I'm glad I ignored them. It not an Oscar winner but then some of them are as boring as hell. Think Gravity! It was a good storyline, reasonably acted, and kept my attention throughout. What more can you want from a film for a relaxing nights viewing. Folk on here are dissecting it like in an autopsy. Ignore all the negative comments and give it a go.

Entertaining, with Liam Neeson, so no surprises here.

[deloudelouvain · 7/10 · 3 August 2021]

I don't agree with the negative reviews rating it the lowest score possible. For that there are countless worse movies than The Ice Road. I don't know what those people expect from a movie with Liam Neeson? Everybody knows exactly how a movie with him will end. Liam Neeson always wins so that's case closed. I thought the story was entertaining, with some good moments of suspense. Did it look realistic? No, certainly not. But it's a movie with Liam Neeson so what do you expect? I don't care about futile things like that, I just want entertainment, and that's exactly what I got.

REALLY BAD SCRIPT

[flyingmouseplus · 1/10 · 26 June 2021]

A script full of flaws, ridiculous situations, not believable at all. Nobody reviews these stories before financing? I couldn't even finish it, it was absurd. Poor Liam, this movie is really bad for his reputation.

The Ice Road....

[steveleegray · 7/10 · 26 June 2021]

Yes it's not "My Dinner with Andre" or "Mindwalk", but is a Liam Neeson, Saturday afternoon beer drinking action movie. It's pure escapism from S-show that is America 2021.

Bizarrely stupid. Just strangely bad on every level.

[just_in_case · 1/10 · 25 June 2021]

It's hard to describe without actually experiencing it, but the dialog in this is one of the strangest things I've ever seen. Imagine if a 5 year Chinese child wrote an entire script for a movie and then a 5 year old Finnish child with some secondhand knowledge of English translated the script and it was phoned in by actors needing a quick paycheck. There's an actual line where an adult explains to another adult what the word "redundant" means. Not in context or for comedy. It's just a random, serious dialog exchange in the film. I've honest to God never seen anything I could compare this to. This not "bad" dialog, it's almost as if the script was auto-generated by a learning computer.

I also don't think anyone involved in trucking across ice roads was involved in this because even from even a basic layman's understanding of the physics all their decisions are dumb..like really dumb. I wish I could say this reminds me of "The core" but it's far far stupidier. This not cheap or lowrent...its compellingly broken. This is Ed wood bad. I suggest waiting until MST3K or rifftrax gets ahold of this. They are going to have a field day.

I needed a distraction and it worked

[brianearley25 · 8/10 · 26 June 2021]

Some people on here were obviously looking for an Oscar worthy contender. Me, I was just looking for an escape for a couple of hours. It worked. Was it brilliant? No. Was it watchable? Yes. Liam made it better than it should of been. Supporting cast was capable. Yes the CGI was off in some places, but it's Netflix not a big screen release. Watch it for what it is. It'll pass time.

Don't understand all the bad reviews

[CindyH_in_SC · 7/10 · 28 June 2021]

Predictable? Yes. Unrealistic situations? Yes. A simple minded script? Yes. So what! It's Liam Nieson. He can survive anything.... It has lots of action and suspense. If you want to watch a movie that has a lot of fight scenes, explosions, thrills and spills, then this is worth watching. Ignore the 1 star reviews and take a chance to watch it. It really isn't all that bad.

Enjoyable if you ignore all the nonsense

[FixedYourEnding · 6/10 · 28 June 2021]

I like Liam Neeson movies. His rugged 'Mike" character is back at it again. As a Netflix production "The Ice Road" suffers from the same illnesses that plagues many of their studios, mostly due to tight budget limit, such as cheap CGI, no connection to reality at parts, quick production that leaves erroneous shots (truck models that switch etc) and not being able to keep highly-paid actors for the length of the film.

HOWEVER, if you ignore all that and grab some popcorn and a drink, this movie is action packed and is a good thriller filled with relatable, albeit clichéd, characters, such as his mentally struggling brother and the female trucker. I really enjoyed these characters and the overall acting level is excellent from all actors.

As an action movie I think it gives F9 a run for its money and probably overall is better, if you get upset by impossible movie action, this movie is probably not for you, but for pure action flick I give it an exact score of 57 / 100.

So bad

[Calicodreamin · 3/10 · 4 July 2021]

Watching the ice road was like watching a movie in slowmo. The fight scenes were terribly coordinated and dragged out. For such a simple objective the actors spent a lot of time standing around and bumbling about. The script was poorly written and the plot was thin. Shaky science and lame CGI. A poorly made mess.

Thin Ice/Plot

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 25 March 2022]

If I understand it right, the Ice Roads are a real thing. The movie takes it to a new level of course. With cliches that will make you cringe and a predictable plot and twists that you will be able to see from miles away (no pun intended).

Still Neeson makes it worth your while - even when there are certain "woke" ideas woven into the whole thing. Still you can be inclusive and entertaining ... yes there are still flaws and the pacing is ... or rather tries to be as fast as it can be, so you won't be able to notice all the plot holes ... or ice holes? Like the trucks the movie would have to be on a steady speed ... not too fast, not too slow ... anyway, suffice to say that is not the case. But do you really care? Just switch off your brain and go along for the ride ... or do not watch at all. This never pretends to be a masterpiece ... but it is well shot, what more do you need?

It's like die hard 5 but with trucks and ice

[zach-medearis · 4/10 · 25 June 2021]

This movie didn't need to be made. I'm surprised the eggheads at Netflix didn't just cast Adam Sandler. I'm neither a trucker or a miner, but I'm Insulted on the behalf of both professions.

It is a long, cold haul...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 13 July 2021]

I must admit that whenever Liam Neeson stars in a movie, then it is a movie that I feel that I must watch, because he definitely has a track record of some rather impressive movies these last many years.

However, when I read the synopsis for "The Ice Road", I must admit that I wasn't exactly overly impressed. But still I sat down to watch the movie, as it had Liam Neeson in it, after all.

And I must say that writer and director Jonathan Hensleigh actually managed to put together a good old fashioned thriller. And while the concept may have seemed a bit off, then it actually worked out well enough with having the movie take place in the frigid colds of northern Canada.

The storyline told in "The Ice Road" is one that quickly lets its frostbite set in and director Jonathan Hensleigh doesn't let you go before the movie comes to an end. I have to admit that I was genuinely more than entertained by the story told in this movie.

Needless to say that Liam Neeson does it quite well in this movie as well, of course he did. And he was joined by the likes of Marcus Thomas, Laurence Fishburne, Amber Midthunder and Benjamin Walker for a rather interesting and fast-paced thriller.

"The Ice Road" was definitely a surprisingly good movie, and it was one that provided me with proper entertainment.

I am rating "The Ice Road" a six out of ten stars.

Truckers will have a lot to critique.

[robertedwards · 9/10 · 27 June 2021]

If you're a trucker you will have a lot to critique.

Many times I thought they should be doing this and not that, but then they used that mistake to create a scene. My wife had to keep telling me "it's just a movie". If you know nothing about trucking like my wife you will enjoy this. Truckers can enjoy this suspenseful, and exciting story if you just put your knowledge on the shelf.

Decent action thriller

[pfpgssx · 7/10 · 27 June 2021]

Of course there are the usual malcontents posting their "awful!" reviews, as usual. My favorite is the one claiming too much white racism. Ha! I have no idea what they're talking about. I pity the poor fools! The veteran actor Liam Neesum is not to be messed with, as usual. He can practically snap a much younger guy in to pieces. When will villains learn to not trifle with him?! I thought the action scenes of semi trucks on the ice were pretty entertaining. This is a good movie to give your brain a much needed rest from the upside down world we now live in. Get your fave snacks and drinks and enjoy!!

Poor Filmmaking on every level

[chris-h-3 · 2/10 · 26 June 2021]

I was going to say this is like a movie from the Hallmark Channel but that does the people who make those films a disservice. A combination of the direction, editing and a mediocre script manages to stamp on any possible sense of drama or suspense in this film.

The cast is pretty good and while some of the acting comes across as a little over the top I'd say that was largely down to the editing, which is just odd. As mentioned in other reviews the effects are quite poor at times but if the rest of the film was involving you might be able to get past that. Unfortunately its not.

The soundtrack has every cliched song about trucks you could think up, Six Days On The Road, I've Been Everywhere etc. Are we really supposed to beleive that these people drive around singing along to these songs , maybe that was supposed to be funny, I'm not sure. It also drags out every 'action' scene long past the point where you care what is happening, I think you could edit this down to 90 minutes or even less and end up with a (slightly) more entertaining film.

I thought this was maybe someone's first film but it seems the director has made films before that were quite good so I don't know what went on here. I feel for all the people who worked on this film given what it ended up like.

Good Action!

[sun-creek · 7/10 · 27 June 2021]

This movie is a good action movie and although I expected a little better was good enough to keep my interest through the entire time. Aside from the woke comments I would recommend it.

Two Great actors and a bad script

[iceman88869 · 1/10 · 25 June 2021]

It's obvious the production value of this movie is extremely low. With two great actors such as Liam Neeson and Laurence Fishburne, you would expect a blockbuster type movie, but that is not the case here.

Every actor in the movie besides the two main stars and Amber Midthunder cannot act. It's cringe worthy watching some of the characters do their lines or show the wrong kind of reaction in every scene.

Really, the absolute worst part of this movie is the writing. The idea is good and had me intrigued, but the lines are awkward or out of place in a lot of scenes.

There is one scene in the movie were Amber Midthunder is asked by the guy riding with her, what she is like when she is really hungry. Her reply is she acts... white... I don't enjoy political correctness in blockbuster movies and hate it even more in horrible movies like this one. There is no saving grace here. Worst movie I have watched this year.

Good action movie

[leach234 · 7/10 · 27 June 2021]

Not going to win any Oscars but an entertaining action movie. I enjoyed it.

Yawn

[musicnetwork-85033 · 3/10 · 25 June 2021]

Yet another generic Netflix production with lots of clichés and unbelievable actions.

If you're incredibly bored and also willing to turn off your intellect for about and hour and a half, then go ahead and watch.

If you have anything better to do or to watch, skip this.

One Hell of a Fun Ride

[Luv2Spooge · 8/10 · 27 June 2021]

I have to say Liam does not lose steam towards the end of his career like others, *cough* *cough* Nicholas Cage *cough* *cough*

This film is action packed, from about 15 mins in, it is just action after action that will keep you at the edge of your seat. Not a dull moment, literally.

Feels like a cheesy 80s action film with entertaining action but forgettable script.

[cruise01 · 7/10 · 5 August 2021]

3.5 out of 5 stars.

The Ice Road is a pretty fair action film that brings Liam Neeson as a ice trucker. While on a desperate mission leading a convoy of ice truckers to deliver heavy cargo that can save several trapped miners.

The film feels like a 1980s action film. Which is entertaining. Forgettable script and story. Just setting up things in motion with having Liam Neeson and his brother and two other truckers driving on icy roads. While facing against the icy backdrop. And a predictable bad guy that tries to sabotage there mission.

The action sequences are exciting and thrilling throughout. Does get a little anticlimatic with Liam Neeson fighting the bad guy. And the visual effects were cheesy and terrible.

Liam Neeson was decent with the character. Along with Lawrence Fishburne who had a forgettable role. Tantoo (Amber Midthunder) playing the other driver and on a desperate mission to save the miners. Her performance was also eh as well.

The Ice Road has some entertaining action forgettable script and visual effects. May not be something memorable but does entertain for a short period of time.