The Ice Harvest

John Cusack as a neo-noir antihero? Harold Ramis' (Groundhog Day) bitter black burlesque comedy-thriller—co-scripted by novelist Richard Russo (Empire Falls) and filmmaker Robert Benton (The Human Stain)—finds Cusack playing Charlie, a Kansas mob lawyer with a poignant awareness of his own cowardice (he's a man who recognizes when he's being double-crossed, but is too big a wimp to do much about it). For all the evil (albeit wickedly funny evil) that Charlie is involved in—including stealing $2,000,000 from his strip-club-owner boss (on Christmas Eve, no less) in partnership with a deliciously deadpan Billy Bob Thornton—most of it befalls him accidentally. Of course, Charlie is smart enough to realize that this makes him doubly a loser, a point driven home over the film's 12-hour timeframe as Cusack and Thornton face hazardous conditions on the road and in their lives. Recommended. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include audio commentary by director Harold Ramis, a 'Cracking the Story' featurette (17 min.), a 13-minute 'Beneath the Harvest' featurette, two alternate endings (10 min.), 'Ice Cracking: The Anatomy of a Scene' (6 min.), an outtake with costar Billy Bob Thornton (2 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a solid black comedy.] (M. Johanson) [Blu-ray Review—Nov. 27, 2018—Kino Lorber, 89 min., R, Blu-ray: $29.95—Making its second appearance on Blu-ray, 2005’s The Ice Harvest features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Extras include audio commentary by director Harold Ramis, the behind-the-scenes featurettes 'Cracking the Story' (17 min.), 'Beneath the Harvest' (13 min.), and 'Ice Cracking: Analysis of a Scene' (6 min.), two alternate endings (11 min.), and an outtake with star Billy Bob Thornton (2 min.). Bottom line: this offbeat comedy looks sharp on Blu-ray.]