A small team of crooks pull off a major heist, stealing $20 million in cash from another crime organization. However, the small plane carrying their score hits a storm and crashes down in the frozen Montana wilderness. Five months later, the tracking beacon finally activates when one of the cases surfaces from a rapidly-thawing lake. It is found by former soldier turned poacher Harlan (Joel Kinnaman, For All Mankind, Silent Night), who was out ice fishing on the lake. Harlan lost his wife and child a while back and now lives a somewhat isolated life, living off the land. After breaking open the case and discovering the cash, he sees the submerged plane in the icy water, and knows there must be more money, but he’s not sure what to do.

Ani (Cara Jade Myers, Killers of the Flower Moon) is Blackfoot Native American who has lived on the Rez all her life, but only recently signed up to take over as game warden for the Wildlife Dept. However, now half of her people resent her for putting on the uniform. There’s been an early thaw in the area, and the ice is getting weak, so Ani has been enforcing a No Fishing rule. While assisting a local with a tow, she comes across Harlan and the case, and calls in Sheriff Raleigh (Trevor Van Uden) for backup. However Ani and Harlan soon find themselves forced to work together as they are pursued by the crooks, who have arrived looking for their money. The crew—leader Drake (DeVaughn Nixon), born-again Pen (Martin Sensmeier), female Sirena (Frida Gustavsson), her boyfriend Dax (Oliver Trevena), and youngest member Ellis (Will Fletcher)—all report to the mysterious and ruthless Mr. Rhodes (Danny Huston), who will stop at nothing to get his money back. The thieves are well-armed with weapons and vehicles, but the new game warden and the poacher know this land well, and aren’t going to make it easy for the the thieves. As they try to formulate a plan to survive, they also seek the advice of tribal elder Oz (Graham Greene in his final role), but he is not happy to see either of them.

Icefall isn’t anything groundbreaking or shocking, and is the type of story that has been done many times before, but here with a but of a Native American slant. That said, it is still a solid watch. There are several exciting action sequences, starting with the pre-title heist. We then see Harlan and Ani facing off several times in the icy wilderness against this team of crooks, utilizing their knowledge of the environment to start whittling down their pursuers. However, the film is not just a shoot-‘em-up action movie, there is also some nice character development/drama. Both Harlan and Ani have complicated pasts, and feel like outcasts. There is this interesting side story with Blackfoot tribe leader Oz who considers Annie a sellout, and blames Harlan for taking his now-deceased wife Mia away from the Blackfoot people. We also spend some time with the crooks, though these characters aren’t as fleshed-out, and feel more like your generic bumbling bad guys, with Danny Huston playing the same sinister role he plays in everything. I always enjoy Joel Kinnaman in this type of action hero with some emotional backstory type of role—he really plays it well. I was less familiar with Cara Jade Myers, but she holds her own, and there is this nice chemistry and bond that forms between Harlan and Ani. The film can be a bit predictable at times, though there was one really surprising moment that had me laughing out loud (in a good way).

Decal Releasing has released Icefall only on Blu-ray & DVD for physical media, but the film is also available in 4K on digital. We were sent the Blu-ray version for review. The visual presentation looks great, with a clean, sharp picture that captures all of the action. There is a strong level of detail throughout, even in the film’s darker, nighttime and underwater sequences. The audio track provides clear dialogue and makes nice use of the stereo and surround channels to provide an immersive experience and capture the ambiance of the setting.

The Blu-ray release is barebones, containing just the film and no bonus material. The disc is packed in a standard HD keepcase. Our review copy did not include any slipcover. As with all Decal releases, no digital copy is included.

What’s Included:

Film (1:35:48):

• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:

No bonus material included.

Final Thoughts:

Icefall isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel. It follows a tried and true formula, giving viewers a fun and exciting action/thriller with a bit more character development than we typically get in this kind of movie. The leads are great and the bumbling villains are fun, but a bit generic. Decal’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, but lacks any bonus material. The film is worth a look for fans of the cast or this type of film.