Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- mordant
- bleak
- suspenseful
- holiday movie night
- winter evening
What critics said
Critics generally found the film an entertaining but uneven neo-noir whose quirky dark humor and cast could not fully overcome padded plotting and limited laughs.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Charlie’s embezzlement scheme, drunken conversations, bungled killings, and escalating threats are presented with sustained dark humor.
The entire twelve-hour crisis unfolds on Christmas Eve, contrasting seasonal imagery with mob violence, lust, betrayal, and murder.
Charlie plans to leave Wichita Falls with Renata and stolen money, but police scrutiny, associates, weather, and hidden dangers obstruct his escape.
An ice storm, fading daylight, snow-covered Wichita Falls, and constricted nighttime movement create the film’s dominant noir atmosphere.
Films like The Ice Harvest, and why
Fargo
Shares a wintry neo-noir atmosphere, criminal schemes, mordant humor, and morally compromised protagonists.
The Ref
Combines Christmas setting, crime, cynical comedy, betrayal, and escalating danger around an ill-fated criminal plan.
The Long Goodbye
Features a crooked protagonist, noirish fatalism, lust, betrayal, and darkly comic criminal complications.
Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead
Shares a snowbound crime setting, black comedy, mob entanglements, and a spiraling series of lethal misunderstandings.
Movie Details
- Director
- Harold Ramis
- Release Date
- 2005-11-23
- Runtime
- 88 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (347)
Cast
- John Cusack
- Billy Bob Thornton
- Connie Nielsen
- Randy Quaid
- Oliver Platt
- Mike Starr
- Ned Bellamy
- T.J. Jagodowski
- David Pasquesi
- Lara Phillips
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Ice Harvest about?
- On a frozen Christmas Eve, a crooked Wichita Falls lawyer’s stolen fortune turns his planned escape with a nightclub owner into a darkly comic criminal gauntlet.
- What is The Ice Harvest like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Ice Harvest as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Ice Harvest violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Ice Harvest as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Ice Harvest?
- Critics generally found the film an entertaining but uneven neo-noir whose quirky dark humor and cast could not fully overcome padded plotting and limited laughs.
- Which films are like The Ice Harvest?
- Films with a similar feel include Fargo, The Ref, The Long Goodbye, and Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead.
- How long is The Ice Harvest?
- The Ice Harvest runs 88 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Ice Harvest?
- In United States, The Ice Harvest is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
