Der Mann aus dem Eis

There are several surprises in the story and they don't make sense. In the course of his travels through the Netherlands our hero he was seeking revenge against those who killed his wife/girlfriends/I don't know the relationship because nobody speaks English, this is a movie without dialogue, which has to carry itself just on the effect of the actors upon each other and what they receive from the surrounding cascade. One scene that doesn't understand my comprehension is the same before this. He's traveling along going up a creek bed and then all of a sudden he's gotta goat and I suppose that's to feed the baby that he rescued from the destruction of his village. Now the goat has short-lived necessity as he slaughters it and cooks it and then all of a sudden he has friends that want to eat the goat with him, at this time, the baby that he's been carrying around for about 2/3 of the movie, he palms off on the new friends and he goes looking for revenge against those who killed his family and his village and birth, etc. So he's on the trail of these bad people and for some reason they go over a vast mountain range where there's no shelter no food and no purpose to be there. But his journey goes on to find those bad people and that's all I can say without giving away the ending.

A history of our ancestor. Love for the Iceman. Salute to his vengeance.

When I found this movie I was very curious what kind of story they put forward. Knowing that there is not spoked in a modern language or translated made it even more appealing. However, it turned out to be disappointing.

For the good part, I have to say that I enjoyed how they tried to show how people used to live five millenniums ago. I don't know if it was really like that or not, but I appreciated the attempt. You don't see often that kind of undertaking.

However, the story that unfolded was nothing but modern day Hollywood blockbusters set in another era. Put Tom Cruise in the main role and you have everything. Was that all they could come up with? The hero leaves home and in his absence his entire family gets killed so he sets on a journey of revenge. Liam Neeson could not be more convincing. Of course, we all know what happened to Otzi, although you have to watch the movie to see what led to that.

It's an overall 6 stars from me.

It's not that "Iceman" is a great film - not in the caliber of, say, 'Amadeus' or 'The Godfather' - but it does have its own story to tell, and in a way you won't see that much. At the beginning of the film, there's this disclaimer: "The characters in the following film speak an early version of the Rhaetic language. Translation is not required to comprehend the story." And it's true. 'Iceman' is basically a revenge film akin to almost every Chinese martial arts (Wuxia) movie or even Lone Wolf & Cub. Apart from the scarcity of language, the cinematography of the eastern Alps is breathtaking. You can almost call 'Iceman' neolithic Nordic noir for the blues on display as well as the general moodiness and bleak surroundings. Interesting in this day and age to release a near-silent film, but I think this one works.

Loved the simplicity of this tale, brutal & stunningly beautiful from the get-go! Stunning cinematography & excellent camera work. I won't say anymore because I believe going in on this one blind, is absolutely the way to go!

9/10 - Solid ancient & epic tale of revenge.