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Such a range of comments for this forgotten film! What exactly is it's appeal? One commenter denounces it as unmitigatedly dull. Another reviewer gives it a 9 out of 10??<br /><br />I agree at least in part with almost everything said here. As far as a serious movie is concerned (not serious subject matter, but in terms of a 'serious' production effort) 'Green Ice' certainly isn't much. It is a highly-predictable, run-of-the-mill property. It almost excels at being boring. But is that always a bad thing? Sometimes one wants precisely that. A simple exercise in a known format. Some eye-candy to watch when you come home on a Friday night after an exhausting week. So let's not turn up our noses entirely at this kind of picture. It has its uses.<br /><br />Now, as far as particulars: Ryan O' Neal is worth watching in almost anything. That's one. He is interesting enough as an actor, to be found entertaining even in a snoozer like this one. Secondly, the film has demure beauty Anne Archer as his co-star. This alone makes it worth a view.<br /><br />Third, although the acting is hum-drum, it is at least adequate. Let's face it the roles as written don't offer much to any actor. The dialog and the mild chemistry between the two leads, is at least passable. . on the low end of the scale. And that's what we're talking about here. Low end. A movie can be bereft of many redeeming qualities but as long as it doesn't really do anything that is blatantly wrong, can it be all bad?<br /><br />Fourth: amazing scenery. South America. Nuf said.<br /><br />Fifth, some intriguing stunts with hang-gliders.<br /><br />Sixth: Bill Wyman's unusual, upbeat soundtrack. At first, it seems ludicrous and inept. But you'd be surprised how it it sticks with you. In retrospect, it works.<br /><br />Seventh, (and not least of which) there is one quite chilling scene in the very beginning of the movie: the killing of six Anglos in the forest which includes the rape of a young American tourist (in the film, she is Archer's sister). This scene has the appropriate edge to it.<br /><br />So there you have it. Yes, its stilted and awkward and trite and forgettable, by the standards of normal film-viewing. We acknowledge that. This is a mediocre film. But it is not sub-par for what it set out to do. <br /><br />So, judge it by the standards of something like, say . . "Capricorn One", "Avalanche Express", "Cassandra Crossing" and others of the same stripe. Looking at it that way, it's really not all that bad. you just have to like slumming. |