So, I Was On Netflix: The Frozen Ground

There's few other actors that I pity more than Nicolas Cage. I really wish he could make a comeback from the rut he's been stuck in since 2010, when The Sorcerers Apprentice signaled the start of a dark period for the actor that's been chock full of box office and critical flops. Which is a shame, because the dudes actually a really talented actor. His devotion to any role is to be admired, as even in abysmal movies like Ghost Rider 2, Nicolas Cage just commits. Sometimes that delivers good acting, sometimes acting that's lacking, but most of his work displays some noticeable level of craftsmanship that is to be admired.

His 2013 endeavor The Frozen Ground, which is the subject of this review, pairs Cage with another 80's star turned into 10's obscure actor, John Cusack. Now, Cusacks fall from grace is even more perplexing than Cages.Whereas Cage had tax issues that had him starring in numerous clunkers to resolve those issues, Cusack was coming off his biggest movie ever (2012) and Hot Tub Time Machine when he suddenly vanished. This is one of the few movies he's popped up in recent years, and luckily, both him and Cage put in reasonably good work here.

As our leading character, Cage plays an officer looking to arrest the man responsible for the murder and kidnapping of several women, including one survivor, Cindy, played by Vanessa Hudgens. Hudgens isn't exactly riveting here, but at least she doesn't crumble the movies tense atmosphere. That atmosphere is brought to life by Cusacks character, who is the main suspect behind all of the murderous activity. Cusack has this relentless quite presence that really does make one edgy, though it occasionally wished for more complexity in his character. He's mentioned numerous times as being a respected member of the community, but they way he's portrayed, he seems more like somebody most would suspect of being a drug dealer or something.

Cage  is given the task of playing a straight man role to suspected murders and kidnapped prostitutes. He's fine, thigh not very compelling. The only time Cage shows off that spark that makes him such an incredible actor is towards the end, in a scene where he really let's loose on Cusack. For the rest it though, he's merely passable. But at least he's mainly consistent in his pass ability, whereas the script (which is penned by the movies director Scott Walker) is all over the place in quality. It's usually good at getting tension going, but towards the end, it just starts to fall apart. The pivotal final scene involving Cusack is almost laughable in its resolution, while a contrived subplot to wring some more action out of Hudgens character are really gratuitous.

Of all the movies in the entire galaxy, this is the last one I'd suspect to employ shaky-cam. Yet a simple interrogation scene Cage is the focus of makes extensive use of it, making intense conversation feel like some sort of unhinged rollercoaster. Another Cage moment, that might have been good to emphasize the Alaskan settings solitude, instead ends up being unintentionally hilarious, simply because the camera cuts to a right side view of Cages face, then a left side view....and them another brief silt of his face from the front! What is the point of this? More odd editing choices pop up throughout the rest of the movie, and really distracting from some otherwise extremely well made scenes. The bizarreness continues to the very end, where a surprisingly haunting final scene is undercut by a montage depicting all the victims....set to some sort of upbeat pop tune. What the hell guys? There's many good parts about The Frozen Ground, such as Cusacks performance, several chilling moments and seeing Cage in a lead role again, but there's a large amount of things that underwhelm that leave the whole thing feeling like it under delivers on its potential.