The Frozen Ground
The Frozen Ground
R | 23 August 2013 (USA)
The Frozen Ground Trailers

An Alaska State Trooper partners with a young woman who escaped the clutches of serial killer Robert Hansen to bring the murderer to justice. Based on actual events.

Reviews
Perry Kate

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

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Reptileenbu

Did you people see the same film I saw?

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Dotbankey

A lot of fun.

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Allison Davies

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

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Scott LeBrun

Inspired by the real life exploits of Alaska based serial killer Robert Hansen (played here by John Cusack), this is an okay thriller that pits the creepy Hansen against a dedicated State Trooper, Jack Halcombe (Nicolas Cage). Halcombe gets his big break when one young woman is able to escape Hansens' clutches. She is Cindy Paulson (Vanessa Hudgens), an underage prostitute.Much time is dedicated to the police procedural aspect to the story, as Halcombe and his many associates (played by Kevin Dunn, Dean Norris, Michael McGrady, Matt Gerald, and others) try to work within the law, and establish an airtight case. Hansen will prove to be a tough nut to crack, despite having a shady past, and it doesn't help that he's got this outward appearance of devoted family man and upstanding community member.Cage is effectively understated, with no trace of eccentricities. He's dead serious as this unsmiling cop protagonist. Cusack is likewise a model of subtlety in his performance. The supporting cast (Radha Mitchell, Kurt Fuller, Gia Mantegna, Brad William Henke, 50 Cent) is solid right down the line, although Mitchell gets little to do as Halcombes' wife. Hudgens does a respectable job as the haunted girl who's built up defense mechanisms to deal with a sad family history.The film gets most of its value from the Alaska setting (it was actually shot on location), which is simply full of atmosphere, beauty, and menace. It may also have some appeal for people who are interested in seeing the seedier environments of Anchorage."The Frozen Ground" is grim and pervasive, and will be hard for some viewers to take. But overall it's a well made and well acted film, that only begins to give one an idea of just how much carnage Hansen may have left in his wake.Seven out of 10.

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EBJ

Directed by Scott WalkerStarring: Nicholas Cage, John Cussack and Vanessa HudgensOverall: This movie is very poor and is definitely not worth your time. Please skip this one.Good:1. John Cusack is pretty good as Robert Hansen.2. Vanessa Hudgens does a good job as Cindy Paulson.3. The story was interesting and the events it was based on needed a movie to tell it. Unfortunately, I believe it needed a better movie to tell it.4. I really liked the music.5. The tribute at the end was very moving.Bad:1. Nicholas Cage was awful as Jack Halcombe.2. Poor cinematography all around.3. Some dialogue was difficult to decipher.4/10

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Paul Magne Haakonsen

Now, I can't really claim to be much of a fan of Nicolas Cage, especially since his movies have an overwhelming tendency to be overly generic and come a dime a dozen. However, it was because of the synopsis and because of John Cusack that I decided to purchase this movie with the intend to watch it.And now having had the chance to sit down and watch it, I must say that I am actually genuinely surprised with the outcome of the movie. Not so much on John Cusack's deliverance, but because Nicolas Cage was actually fair in this movie, and he proved his worth opposite John Cusack. But to be blunt, then it was John Cusack who carried the movie and stood out in "The Frozen Ground".The story, which is based on real events, takes place in Alaska, where young women fall target and victim to a heinous abductor and serial killer.Nicolas Cage did a good enough job with his role as an officer of the law. But especially John Cusack was shining in this movie, in the role of the serial killer. There was just something deviant and cruel about his performance and portrayal of the Robert Hansen character. Vanessa Hudgens also did a good job with her acting and really did bring something to the movie."The Frozen Ground" turned out to be an enjoyable movie which, albeit following a straight forward script, did offer some good moments. And the characters in the movie seemed to be well-detailed and equally well brought to life on the screen by the acting talents.I am rating "The Frozen Ground" a solid six out of ten stars, and it is a movie that is well worth watching if you need some fair entertainment for a single viewing. The movie, however, doesn't really sustain more than a single viewing; you watch it once, then bag and tag it.

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NateWatchesCoolMovies

The Frozen Ground is a chilling, down to earth, somber true crime story set in the slimy underbelly of Anchorage, and the ice tundras of the rural Alaskan areas. Nicolas Cage turns off the ham and plays it straight as Alaska State Trooper Jack Halcombe. When a terrified 17 year old prostitute (Vanessa Hudgens) is discovered chained up in an abandoned apartment, she tells authorities a wild tale of how she was abducted, tortured and almost killed by a madman. The only problem: this madman is Robert Hansen (John Cusack), a respected business owner and family man without a ghost of a criminal record. No proof can be found, no one believes the poor strung out girl, and the trail goes cold. But not for Halcombe. He doggedly pursues lead after lead, forming a shaky bond with Hudgens to go after Hansen and prove what he suspects, and is true: Hansen is a twisted serial killer guilty of over a dozen unsolved murders. The film drops cheap tricks and settles into an unconventionally paced, straightfaced, scary account of catching this monster. Cage is excellent as the determined trooper who uses keen intellect and unflinching pathos to flush Hansen out. Cusack is creepy as hell, worming his way into your psyche with his dank, vile characterization, it's the scariest work I've ever seen from him. The performance of the film comes from Hudgens though. She brings bruised, hardened heart to the role, objectively playing this broken, lost soul with a doe eyed, fearless frenzy that I didn't know she was capable of. There's a subtle bunch of supporting cameos, including Jodi Lynn O Keefe, Dean Norris, Michael Mcgrady, Brad William Henke, Radha Mitchell, Kevin Dunn, and 50 Cent wearing a ridiculous mullet. It's an icy slow burner, almost like the moody 1970's procedural, with a laconic pace all its own that nicely sets it apart from other similar movies. It also gives fair tribute to the real life victims and their families, never deviating into exploitation or wanton carnage, but always maintaining a frank, earnest, up front mentality that often is scarily similar to real life. Definitely worth checking out.

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