The Frozen Ground (2013)

I actually enjoyed his first ghost rider episode rather than his second, even though I love Neveldine/Taylor's work especially in Gamer and the Chelios "Crank" duology. But this one is a nice authentic murder mystery and I love films that take place in Alaska. And I don't remember seeing John Cusack play a really nasty bad guy as well as he does here, the creepiness makes me shiver: and the character is doubly malicious as he is hiding behind the guise of a righteous, Christian individual- A facade that hides more evil in this modern age than any other. One of Paul Verhoeven's character actors, Dean Norris takes on more than just a background cameo role to actively assist Nicolas Cage character which appears to be a State Trooper Sergeant . And I do believe there is a Radha Mitchell in the house, who has not aged since she was gobbled up by blind monsters in Pitch Black. Very nice, I enjoyed this quite a lot thank you. Vanessa Hudgens (from machete kills) didn't really stand out but she did have the character perfectly, and by watching her performance we can understand why some women do not speak up when abused or threatened. Like, what good would it do? And apparently based on a true story. As hideous and gruesome as this film is, it is no match to the original events on which it is based.

Miss Hudgens should have won an award. Simply outstanding performance. Mr. Cusack, as always, delivers a 10. Mr. Cage, while not always at the top of his game, nails his part in this movie. Great script and terrific directing. It's nice to see a true story treated as it should be.

THE FROZEN GROUND is an Alaska-set Hollywood serial killer thriller, based on a true story from the 1980s. It stars Nicolas Cage as a cop on the trail of serial killer John Cusack, and much of the narrative revolves around a former victim and the only person to escape the killer's clutches, played by Vanessa Hudgens. The icy locales always make for a decent cinematic backdrop, but I'm afraid I found the rest of the production largely uninteresting.The problem with this film is its familiarity. The subject matter is predictable and dragged out and you never feel the urgency or momentum of the situation, as you do in the true classics of the genre like ZODIAC or SEVEN. Cage downplays it for the most part, as does Cusack, but this means that by contrast Hudgens gives something of a histrionic turn that I found irritating. The story takes place in the usual grungy strip clubs and the like and is frequently dark and nihilistic, but this time around that didn't amount to a very enjoyable viewing experience for me.

Erring on the side of caution I marked spoiler however, the alleged killer is revealed at the beginning of the movie so it's not really a spoiler. Not much that I can add that has not already been said …however I want to give kudos to actor Vanessa Hudgens who plays a young street prostitute and victim of serial rapist and killer Robert "Bob" Hansen aptly played by John Cusack, who is ultimately pursued with the fervor that all victims deserve by Jack Halcombe played brilliantly by Nicolas Cage. Hudgins whose best work prior to this was mediocre at best, BECAME Cindy (the prostitute). Just a fine fine job of acting, a joy to watch even though her role was so desperate and dark. You BELIEVED her. From the barely audible story about her uncle to her ordeal at the hands of Hansen. She WAS Cindy, not someone pretending to be Cindy. Big Kudos. Despite the director's best efforts they did not do a good enough job of background to call this a character driven piece although without the excellent job done by all the plot which is slow at times would have fallen flat.The Alaskan State Troopers, local police and National Guard worked with tireless determination to bring this psychopath (who enjoyed a quiet peaceful church going, pillar of the community, life with a wife and 2 children) to justice for the deaths of dozens of young women. Early on they reveal the killer, then build the plot around their pursuit. He is cagey, sneaky and leaves no trail behind – he is spic and span clean. Does a good job of showing that psychopaths are deeply misunderstood by the public as some of our greatest leaders – in the political, economic, and scientific worlds – are by definition psychopaths. Cusack does a great job of portraying the singular, focused, dedicated pursuit of his criminal mind while living a parallel life of the utmost decency.In my opinion, Halcombe (Cage) was ALSO a psychopath – I don't know if it was intentional by the screenwriters or if it simply fell into play this brilliant side by side comparison of how being a psychopath can lead to a life of dedication to justice or it can lead to a life of depravity. Halcombe was singularly dedicated to catching his prey (Cusack), working his way through the darkly seedy underworld of prostitution, the sale and trade of women as commodities, the soul stealing depraved world of human trafficking with tireless focus, determined not to fail in bringing his criminal to justice where others had failed costing dozens more lives – all while living a life of normalcy with his wife and child.As "true" stories go, the writers and directors did an excellent job here working with what they had – 2 hours to drive home these characters, and the plot – the pursuit of enough evidence to prosecute and CONVICT Bob (Cusack). Unlike most "true" stories they did not take a lot of literary license but were definitely shackled by what would and would not be suitable for a movie. However, these characters (including Halcombe) are MUCH deeper and the protagonist (Bob/Cusack) was not just a psychopath, he was deeply depraved from an early age. You also don't see the back story of how we via our thirst for energy, for oil, and building the Alaskan pipeline, opened the door for the dark criminal underworld to secure roots in such a previously pristine environment. (On that note, the cinematography was just awesome!) I strongly suggest reading Fair Game by Bernard DuClos whose research for his book was astonishingly rich and thorough.