ICE MEN

In this directing debut by Thom Best (cinematographer for Queer As Folk), Ice Men follows a Big Chill sort of weekend where a group of friends isolate themselves together and basically try to eat each other alive as simmering issues arise and blow up.

In this case, Vaughn (Martin Cummins) invites his three best boyhood friends to spend a weekend in his woodsy family cabin in the wilds of Ontario. Vaughn is a bit edgy. Nay, he's constantly pissed off, and stomps around with a scowl on his face for the whole film, despite the fact that he organized this getaway in honor of his friend Bryan's 30th birthday. We are left to accept that he is this way (temporarily?) because his wife left him. Whatever. We also understand that his is basically an asshole in real life because he is a successful businessman of some sort. The only one who calls him on his bullshit is his brother, uninvited cabin-crasher Trevor (Ian Tracey), who was offhandedly invited by one of the guys, but is clearly not welcome.

In this ensemble, we have Cranky Pissed Man, Drunken Shameful Birthday Boy, Yearning and Somewhat Closeted Gay Man, Pretty and Maybe Closeted Ego Man, and Washed-out Family Black Sheep Brother. Though the ensemble cast is pretty good, it is Ian Tracey as Vaughn's brother Trevor that steals the movie. He is rugged and burly by default, but never shows off. He watches from the side and immediately has everyone figured out, but he is also hiding his own secrets. He is an intelligent and intense presence on screen, and ends up being the most interesting character in a pretty good film.

All the action takes place in a scenic cabin on a frozen lake in the snowy Canadian woods. By the end of the movie, there have been punches thrown, at least one bloody nose, one same-sex roll in the hay, a tense hunting trip, many flashbacks to a pushy father, an overly competitive impromptu ice-hokey game, another (rather implausible) roll in the hay with an unexpected visitor, and one horrible accident. Friendships are tested, and the men are forced to realize that things are a lot more complicated than when they were kids horsing around together.

With its interesting setting and professional cinematography, Ice Men certainly looks good, and the cast is uniformly strong, despite the fact that some characters have more depth than others. It may take a while to warm up, but Ice Men ultimately proves to be a relatively interesting drama that explores the changing dynamics in a group of childhood friends.