Netflix 'Against the Ice' Review: Joe Cole steals the show in an otherwise morose film
Survival films are sadly predictable for most parts. We go in knowing that the film is going to show its protagonists suffer some losses, struggle to stay alive in an unfamiliar and harsh environment, be driven to their wits' ends, and eventually go back to their respective worlds having learned a valuable lesson or two. 'Against the Ice' fits into the category, for most parts.
Starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones), Joel Cole (Game of Thrones, Peaky Blinders), Heida Reed (FBI: International), and Charles Dance, 'Against the Ice' is a cinematic account of the heroic efforts of Danish explorer Ejnar Mikkelsen, who along with Iver Iversen, set out to recover evidence that would disprove the United States' claim to Nort-Eastern Greenland in 1909. Based on the book titled 'Two Against the Ice', the film has Coster-Waldau playing Mikkelsen, while Cole plays Iversen, with the former even handling screenwriting duties along with Joe Derrick.
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Helmed by Peter Flinth, 'Against the Ice' starts on a very cold note. No, we're not talking about the frigid Arctic environment. The film begins with a crew member's frostbitten toes being chopped off. We find out that men are in Greenland, and are on a mission to recover the bodies of Mylius-Erichsen and crew who had died after collecting evidence that would disprove America's claim to North-Eastern Greenland. Mikkelsen looks for a new assistant for the mission and Iversen volunteers, partly because of the reluctance of the rest of the crew. What soon follows is a physically and mentally taxing journey, during which the duo are marred with losses and face obstacles that pose threats to their lives.
'Against the Ice' breaks out of the survival film template in one major way. It never romanticizes the journey that Mikkelsen and Iversen set out on. Instead, it shows such expeditions in their truest form, acting like a documentary at times. We get to see how sled dogs are treated, the lengths to which expeditions push explorers, and the way things functioned in the 1900s.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau plays the seasoned explorer's part perfectly, but it's Joe Cole who steals the show as his inexperienced assistant. Cole, best known for playing John Shelby in 'Peaky Blinders', sheds the tough-guy persona, putting on a boyish behavior in an excellent manner. There are enough moments where we see the character fanboying around Mikkelsen, and it truly brings some light to the otherwise grim film.
However, 'Against the Ice' is lethargic and though the film manages to realistically convey the efforts of Mikkelsen and Iversen, its duration makes it an uninteresting watch at times. The film could've been more gripping but it doesn't seem to take its situation seriously. The hallucinatory parts towards the end don't add to the story, and the film underuses Charles Dance, who could've brought in more challenges to the rescue mission.
In all, 'Against the Ice' takes too long to melt and is a film for those who have time to kill.
'Against the Ice' is available for streaming on Netflix.
