The Iceman
Netflix | Amazon | HitBliss | iTunes | SEN | Vudu | YouTube
DVD | Blu-ray
Directed by Ariel Vromen
Starring Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, Chris Evans, Ray Liotta, James Franco, David Schwimmer, Stephen Dorff, Robert Davi
Millennium Films
Originally Released: August 30, 2012

Don’t call him a hitman, contract killer, or mass murderer – Richard Kuklinski will forever be known to history as The Iceman; a mob enforcer named as such for freezing his victims to confuse the authorities as to the time of death. Portrayed by Michael Shannon in the Ariel Vromen-directed biopic, The Iceman is a crime drama worth your attention.

Spanning several decades, The Iceman starts in the 1960s, first depicting Kuklinski’s first date with future wife Deborah (Winona Ryder). Coming from a tortured and abusive background, Kuklinski and his brother Joseph (Stephen Dorff) fall into lives of delinquency, and eventually murder. While Joseph is caught and imprisoned, Richard ends up becoming a mob enforcer for Roy DeMeo (Ray Liotta) as he attempts to also have a normal family life with his wife and daughters.

There is a stone cold presence that Michael Shannon brings whenever he appears on screen and he is going to live up to that when he plays has titular character in Ariel Vromen‘s The Iceman. Check out the first trailer for the film below.

This trailer isn’t for any one with a weak stomach, so if you are a bit squeamish when it comes to blood, then this isn’t for you. But for those who are brave to see brutal violence then you might want to check out this movie.

Chris Evans has been cast in The Iceman, replacing James Franco.

The movie tells the story of Richard “The Iceman” Kuklinski, one of the most vicious and emotionless serial killers this planet has ever seen. Most people are familiar with Kuklinski after seeing his bone-chilling interviews on TV, where he talks in great detail about the murders he committed, the work he did as a contract killer for the mob, and how he kept it a secret from his seemingly normal family life.

In August of 2009 we found out that a movie about one of the planet’s most infamous killers, Richard Kuklinski, was being delayed because the producer at that time wanted Channing Tatum for the role. Many of you spoke up about who you’d like to see play the part, and we later found out that one of those names, Mickey Rourke, had been cast in the role.

Now comes a bit of a surprise: there’s actually another separate movie based on Kuklinski, better known as The Ice Man, in the works as well. This project, titled The Iceman, comes from Nu Image, and already has its star: Michael Shannon, who can currently be seen on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, and has also been seen in movies like Bug and Revolutionary Road, which nabbed him an Academy Award nomination. Benicio Del Toro is also set for a role in the film, and James Franco is a possibility. This film will be directed by Ariel Vromen, who has previously helmed Rx and Danika.

The Rourke project is aiming to begin production come spring, while this second project is aiming at a start date some time next summer.

Last August, we covered a story about the Iceman, Richard Kuklinski, one of the world’s most infamous serial killers and mafia hitmen (Read: Best News Ever: Ice Man Richard Kuklinski Movie Delayed Due To Channing Tatum Casting Possibility). At the time, it was revealed that Philip Carlo, who authored the book The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer, was pulling out of his movie deal to adapt the book with producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura because Bonaventura wanted to cast Channing Tatum to play Kuklinski.

This would have been one of the worst casting choices in the history of cinema, and everyone including Carlo seemed to know it, which led to the halt and retreat from further progress. At the time, Carlo made it known that his preference was for Mickey Rourke to take on the role, and though many of you felt actors like James Gandolfini or Tom Wilkinson would be best, it’s now being reported that Rourke is indeed attached to star.