‘Ice Harvest’ is hard-edged but slippery

Holding more than $2 million in his oversized briefcase, Charlie’s failure to plan his getaway as meticulously as the burglary is a deadly mistake in “The Ice Harvest.” After reluctantly handing the stolen money over to Vic (Billy Bob Thornton), his partner in crime, Charlie (John Cusack) has a few hours to kill. Taking his partner’s word that they will be leaving town soon, he heads for the nearest watering hole.

The weather is blustery, the roads are icy and shops are closed for business in Kansas on Christmas Eve. The only joints open are the bars and strip clubs where everyone knows and likes Charlie. Wherever he goes, trouble follows. A dangerous thug is looking for him. He keeps bumping into the local cops all night while in compromising situations. The dame who always gives Charlie the cold shoulder suddenly warms up to him. His partner is being evasive about the dead body in his living room and the live body stuffed in a trunk in the garage. Moreover, his best but very drunk friend pukes in Charlie’s nice car.

“The Ice Harvest” is a modernized throwback to the dime-store crime novels where men drink hard, play hard and refuse to die without putting up a fight. Lying, cheating and blackmail are extracurricular activities for Charlie and his pals. It is a world where a woman strips for money, or is on her second or third marriage, or plays hardball with the guys by out-drinking, out-cussing and out-smarting them.

Directed by Harold Ramis (“Ghostbusters,” “Groundhog’s Day”), this dark drama shines a harsh light on Charlie and his criminal activities. Played by Cusack, Charlie looks like the boy next door all grown up. He acts like he got into his mess through everyone’s actions but his own, which is not unlike the attitude sociopaths are prone to take in their defense.

This “guy flick” plays like an acting exercise for performers interested in trying on a different type of character. “The Ice Harvest” is rough around the edges as well as in its content. The subplots dealing with a pole dancer’s dispute with an ex remain unrelated to any of Charlie’s activities beyond the fact they are in the same place at the same time. Charlie’s buddy (Oliver Platt) only serves the purpose of helping him kill time by doing things like bouncing up and down on the sidewalk while inebriated. If this were a play hoping to make it to Broadway, it would need a minimum of another year or two on the road to tighten it up. Maybe by the time “The Ice Harvest” comes out on DVD, it will have the kinks worked out.

* PEGGY J. ROGERS, 40, produces commercial videos and documentaries.

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