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Released by: Lionsgate
Released on: October 1, 2013.
Director: Scott Walker
Cast: Nicholas Cage, John Cusack,
Year: 2013
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The Movie:
While the serial killer film has become a staple of both the horror genre and even "serious" film genres it has also spawned some extremely tired hackery. For every SEVEN and CSI there is a by-the-numbers UNTRACEABLE or dumb DTV opus popping up on your Netflix que.
The plot of THE FROZEN GROUND centers on the activities of notorious real life serial killer/baker Robert Hansen (John Cusack) who operated in Alaska. He tended to dispose of his victims in isolated tundra areas (hence the film's title) and was brought down only by the dogged determination of police Sergeant Jack Holcombe (Nicolas Cage). The film opens with a frenzied police assault on a hotel involving a lot of shaky cam shots and door busting. Soon a babbling and hysterical Cindy Paulson (Vanessa Hudgens) bleeding on a bathroom floor is revealed. She's got a pretty wild tale to tell the cop who has rescued her, Gregg Baker (played by Ryan O'Nan), as well involving local and highly respected baker Hansen. Initially only believed by her rescuer, once Baker learns of bodies piling up in the area he's convinced that there is a serial killer at work in the area despite the skepticism of his immediate superiors. After Baker breaks the chain of command and reaches out to Holcombe is when THE FROZEN GROUND really begins to gain momentum.
While THE FROZEN GROUND is a quality production far removed from the grindhouse sleaze of something like Chuck Parello's HILLSIDE STRANGLER it has an identity crisis. An artistic decision was made to not skimp on the realistic violence but due to the film's slightly upscale aesthetic some of the material becomes ironically borderline exploitative. Unlike something cohesively gritty like HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER that perfectly matches style, cinematography and tone to it's subject matter, THE FROZEN GROUND sometimes feels like slick professionals working over sleazy material with a smug sensibility. The abundant shaky cam is a hindrance as well. There is also a mildly unhealthy fixation on the drug addicted travails of the Paulson character. Clearly added to "humanize" her as a victim it often seems overdone and slightly exploitative. Hudgen's performance is also so strong that it tends to add to the viewer's discomfort at watching her suffer. Narrative drive tends to crumble when the film veers off into tangential areas relating to some of the victim's family members too. It is clear why these scenes are there, but the balancing act is not needed. Cusack's performance is nicely calibrated and he doesn't play Hansen as a charismatic or cool character. He comes off as smart and calculating but also deceptively unassuming. This is the key to his success as a killer.
Performances are strong all around. Even notorious overacting king Cage acquits himself well. Cusack has become a remarkably reliable performer over the years but it is Hudgens who is the standout. She's essentially nuked her entire teen queen persona between this and SPRING BREAKERS and she handles both extreme emotion and some pretty sordid material here with professional aplomb. The film's weaknesses rest in its unfocused screenplay, clumsy use of exploitative elements and overabundance of hyperactive camerawork. It wants the groin kick of HENRY and the subtle artistry of ZODIAC at the same time. Moderately effective as a police procedural the film doesn't satisfy as a thriller because of this.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Lionsgate's 1080p 2.39:1. AVC encoded transfer looks about like what you'd expect from a recently shot digital feature with a halfway decent budget - good. The color palette is heavily treated for effect here however, so don't be bummed by the occasional blue tint folks. It's entirely intentional. Clarity and detail are both excellent even if visibility is sometimes compromised by the low lighting (intentional as well) in a few scenes. This is an unremarkably solid transfer.
There isn't anything negative to report on the audio front either. The lossless DTS-HD Master audio 5.1 track here is well balanced and rendered. Ambient sounds are well mixed. This is a surprisingly quiet film for the most part reliant on dialog and natural outdoor and indoor sounds. All is handled just fine here.
First out of the gate is an informative audio commentary with director/writer Scott Walker and producers Mark Ordesky and Jane Fleming. They cover a lot of ground including why certain creative decisions were made and what the intent of the film was. Considering some of the film's failings it is actually interesting to hear what the intent was - whether they succeeded or not is a different matter.
Beyond that we have two featurettes that each have a slightly different focus. One focuses exclusively on the writing and screenplay and the other is more of a traditional EPK with cast and crew interviews - this one's most interesting feature is the appearance of the real life detective involved in the case. Both pieces are of some value depending on your level of interest in the film. There is also a collection of extended interviews with six members of the cast and crew. Everything is topped off with a trailer in HD.
The Final Word:
Falling between the twin stools of grimy exploitation/visceral reality and Fincheresque ambition THE FROZEN GROUND is an intermittently interesting failure. What makes it watchable (if still a bit of an uneasy experience) is the solid acting and passably engaging true story. First time director and writer Walker might want to get a better handle on cohesive tone the next time out and lay off the ADD style camerawork. And Hudgens performance is very strong and the real surprise takeaway from this.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
