The Ice House

"The Ice House," a British mystery/police procedural just before the era of DNA evidence analysis, held my attention if only for the youthful star quality of Daniel Craig who appears in almost every scene but doesn't get top billing - I thoroughly enjoyed seeing him here assisting in a homicide investigation. He does most of the legwork; his boss is familiar with this address because the man of the house disappeared 10 years before - has his body been found, at long last, in the ice house on the property by the gardener? The ice house is nothing more than a hole dug out of the earth; the gummy remains (without clothing) have severe damage to the chest. What puzzled me most about "The Ice House" is the vague info from the medical examiner over the course of this 3 hour mini-series - he cannot ID the body for sure, the teeth are missing, the cause of death was a gunshot or maybe wild animals chewed on the chest - and the person has only been dead a few months or was it longer? Much longer? The program includes much talk about sexual activities - too much for my taste but overall, I liked this dated mystery and was quite surprised by the ending.

I find it hard to believe that The Ice House was made back in 1997, watching it again I was surprised at just how fresh it feels. Only the cars and hairstyles seem to date it. The book is a great read, there's always a worry that something gets lost in translation when it's made for TV, not the case here, justice was done. It's a deep story, with more going on then meets the eye. At no point does it feel slow or padded, the characters are brilliantly brought to life, Downie, Redgrave and Craig all particularly good, but the surprise package for me was Kitty Aldridge, not an actress I knew a great deal about, but she was fantastic. Each Minette Walters adaptation that the BBC made I enjoyed, if only this kind of show was still being made. 9/10

The cover photo on the box has changed: it's now Daniel Craig, solo, to capitalize on his success as James Bond. And he is the one who makes this long--three hours--show work. I've rarely seen a man play a drinker better than Craig does here. At one point, he drops to the floor in exhaustion--he hasn't eaten all day--and Aldridge has to make him eat a candy bar to get his strength up. Truly, Sgt. McLaughlin needs some caring soul to look after him.

The story sometimes lags a bit; three hours is a lot of time to devote to a fairly simple story after all. But the acting is generally excellent. Kitty Aldridge is very good as the one-time Communist newspaper reporter who has a lot of secrets to keep from the police. Penny Downie, whom I last saw playing Gertrude to David Tennant's Hamlet, is really moving at times; she is playing a mother of adult children whose father abused them. Corin Redgrave will make you shudder at times: he's playing the lead officer in the investigation who has harassed some of the characters in the past. The supporting cast is generally good, save for the young woman who has to yell 'Lezzies' too many times for my liking. All in all, a good evening's entertainment.

Diane, Anne and Phoebe live a peaceful life in a glorious house, that bliss is shattered when a body is discovered in the ice House. The Police are called in.

A wonderful two part drama series, it's beautifully acted, produced, but best of all, it's a cracking whodunnit.

A tangled mystery, with plenty of red herrings thrown in, I really so miss the Minette Walters penned dramas, why did they have to stop them, each was excellent.

It takes some time before you learn who it is in the ice house, and how they ended up there, but the journey is well worth it, there is a lot packed in.

Daniel Craig for me is the standout, and that isn't the James Bond fan in me just opting for him. His performance is outstanding, but everyone contributes well in this.

Twenty four years on, and it's genuinely as good as when I first saw it, excellent, 9/10.

The Ice House is a 1997 British mystery starring Daniel Craig, Corin Redgrave, Kitty Aldridge, Frances Barber, and Penny Downie. Three women living together and hated by the town come under suspicion when a body is found in their ice house. Ten years earlier, the husband of one of them, Phoebe (Downie) had disappeared, and at that time, she had been suspected of killing him by DCI Walsh (Redgrave). The other two women, Anne (Aldridge) and Diana (Barber) are lesbians. The town disapproves of them.

Daniel Craig plays DS Andy McLoughlin, who is also working on the investigation of identifying the man in the ice house. His boss is convinced it's the husband. But there is more to the case and to the home situation, as Andy learns; all the while, he's falling for Anne.

Very good mystery that really keeps you guessing. The lonely house provides a great atmosphere, and the characters are all well defined and well-acted. Daniel Craig is always good, and after seeing him on stage, I'm even more impressed with him. As a man with a troubled marriage, coming up against his boss, and getting personally involved with the case, he does a wonderful job. He and Kitty Aldridge have excellent chemistry.

Highly recommended.