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Anchorage, Alaska, circa 1983, looks and feels like a pioneer town in the Wild West in "The Frozen Ground," Scott Walker's new crime thriller (and first feature). It's a town teeming with strip clubs, drug addiction, prostitution, and runaway girls whom nobody would miss if they went missing. And they do go missing, in droves. Based on the true story of Alaskan serial killer Robert Hansen (played here by John Cusack ), and detective Glenn Flothe (named, in the film, Jack Holcombe, and played by Nicolas Cage ) who, in investigating a series of missing persons reports as well as a couple of dead girls dug up by animals out in the wilderness, starts to wonder if all of these events aren't somehow connected.

"The Frozen Ground" trucks in cliche, as most serial killer and police procedural films do, but the strength of the acting (from the leads down to people with only one or two lines) helps ground the film. Filmed in a frenetic style, with gigantic moving frenzied closeups, and an almost total lack of establishing shots, "The Frozen Ground" is best when it lands, and stays, on the faces of the leads: Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, and Vanessa Hudgens . When we are looking at their faces, we don't need to be reminded of the stakes. They're there in plain view.

It's hard to do something new in the serial killer genre, especially since the field is so over-saturated, from the 24/7 Investigation Discovery channel to "Criminal Minds"'s weekly obsession with how dangerous it is to be a woman because one minute you're walking down the street, minding your own business, the next minute you're chained up in a dungeon. All of those familiar elements are here. Jack Holcombe even has a resentful wife ( Radha Mitchell ), complaining to her husband about how hard he works, before doing an unmotivated about-face in a later scene. Why do movies so rarely know what to do with wives of workaholics? Why are they usually given the role of nag, before coming around in the final hour?

But "The Frozen Ground" is not trying to re-invent the wheel, and it also isn't trying to imitate " Seven " or "Silence of the Lambs." It is interested in Holcombe's increasingly urgent investigation, and the pushback he receives from higher-ups who don't want to re-open what were considered to be closed cases. There's one shot of Nicolas Cage sitting in a dark office, staring up at a bulletin board, covered with snapshots of missing women. That one shot establishes so much: his feeling of urgency, the sense of how huge this thing could be if anyone could find the missing links, and the loneliness of his quest.

Robert Hansen's name may not be as well-known as Ted Bundy, or John Wayne Gacy, but his murderous spree in 1970s and 1980s Alaska puts him in the Serial Killer Pantheon. Despite a troubled and violent background with tons of red flags, Hansen was able to maneuver undetected in Anchorage for many years, abducting young women, raping them, taking them via private plane out into the inaccessible wilderness surrounding Anchorage and then hunting them like game. He was married, with kids. He worked as a baker. People liked him, but he was quiet and kept to himself. He had a great cover persona, as most of these characters do. Flothe finally got a warrant to search Hansen's house, and found an aviation map covered with X's, to mark the spot of his burial grounds. Many of the victims were never found. We'll never know the number of women he actually killed. Hansen was sentenced to 461 years in prison with no possibility of parole.

Cindy Paulson (Vanessa Hudgens) is the teenage prostitute who managed to escape from Hansen's clutches, and went to the police to tell her story. She was not believed, because of her background. This is handled in a manner bordering on vaudeville, with one cop regaling a group of cops with the contemptuous comment, "I mean, how can a prostitute be raped?" They all laugh in agreement. This is not to say that such situations do not happen in police stations all the time, but the scene feels heavy-handed.

The scenes between Nicolas Cage and Vanessa Hudgens are the film's best. Nicolas Cage is so grounded here, so real and simple. The whole film really hinges on Holcombe trying to make Cindy trust him so that she will testify and be a reliable witness, and this is where Cage shines. His entire performance is about two things only: thinking and listening. He has a power of listening that is totally authentic, and he is quite generous to his young co-star. He is not concerned with himself, because Jack Holcombe isn't either. He listens to Cindy talk on a level that could be described as subterranean, with a cop's instinct for what isn't being said.

And Cindy is, to put it mildly, a handful. She has a pimp (played by 50 Cent, who also is one of the producers of the film), but things have gone south in that relationship. She wanders up and down the "Ho Stroll" in Anchorage, and gets a job dancing in a strip club. She does coke and crystal meth. She has nowhere to live, and stands on the sidewalk in the driving snow. (There is a breathtaking scene that has nothing to do with anything else, where Cindy, alone on a deserted side street, comes across a gigantic moose, which has wandered into the city. Moose and Cindy stand for a while, staring at each other. The snow falls. It is a moment that is beyond meaning, beyond plot, reminiscent of the encounter with the deer on the railroad tracks at dawn in "Stand By Me.")

John Cusack dials the burner down low, a smart choice, giving the character the guy-next-door persona which was so much a part of Hansen's successful M.O. When we see him in the flashbacks, with one of the girls he abducted ( Gia Mantegna , in a gut-wrenching performance), he is calm, almost taciturn, even when he punches her in the head. He's almost kind and supportive with his victims, telling them they are "good girls." Cusack has placed his voice at a very interesting part of his register, making him sound (and seem) benign. It's a voice that almost isn't there. He is a hunter, a predator. He has worked hard at his camouflage.

Mixed in with the super fast hand-held action of the majority of the film are periodic aerial shots (Patrick Murguia is the cinematographer) of the forbidding Alaskan wilderness, mountains, glaciers, frozen rivers. These shots are constant reminders of what a vast field Hansen had to play in, and the impossibility of ever finding the missing.

Sheila O'Malley

Sheila O'Malley received a BFA in Theatre from the University of Rhode Island and a Master's in Acting from the Actors Studio MFA Program. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Film credits.

The Frozen Ground (2013)

105 minutes

Nicolas Cage as Jack Halcombe

Vanessa Anne Hudgens as Cindy Paulson

John Cusack as Robert Hansen

Dean Norris as Sgt. Lyle Haugsven

Radha Mitchell as Allie Halcombe

50 Cent as Pimp Clate Johnson

Scott Walker

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The Frozen Ground Reviews

Only Patrick Murguia’s on-location photography of the Alaskan wilderness holds any notable merit.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Aug 25, 2022

Nerve-wracking, nail biting and blood curdling, The Frozen Ground will send chills down your spine while warming your heart.

Full Review | Nov 27, 2019

Here is a testament to the considerable tension that can be mounted from a cast determined to give realistic performances paired with a director that seems to know something about developing realistic characters.

Full Review | Aug 22, 2019

A by-the-numbers addition to a well-worn genre that is destined to occupy the supermarket bargain bins sooner than perhaps expected.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Feb 26, 2019

There's not much between this and a Sunday-night drama, but the ice-bound setting is different and beautiful.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 9, 2018

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Nov 8, 2017

You’ll still find the tension has you gripping your seat, thanks to the taut cat and mousery between ol’ Con Air co-stars Cusack and Cage.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 5, 2017

Cage hones his weary cop's character to a dull point, rough and ragged, like the lead of a detective's pencil scratching notes on a crumpled pad.

Full Review | Original Score: 3 of 5 | Apr 18, 2016

As written and directed by Scott Walker, THE FROZEN GROUND isn't great, but it's surprisingly effective, thanks to its no-frills approach and its care with the actors and characters.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 18, 2014

It's all around safe and plain, simple and to the point, and all very, very by-the-numbers.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Aug 10, 2014

The Frozen Ground covers familiar territory but benefits from authentically seamy scene setting amid the bars and strip-joints where the killer found his prey, and from solid performances by its leads, all of whom are acting against type.

Full Review | Feb 1, 2014

The Frozen Ground is trying its best to act as a genuine tribute to the victims of a horrible crime. Unfortunately it falls short... Though still functioning as a solid genre piece, the chasm between intention and execution is embarrassingly apparent.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 10, 2013

The Frozen Ground isn't innovative, but it is a well-paced and engaging thriller that has the added appeal of a truth-based narrative.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 1, 2013

In a rote cat-and-mouse cop-and-serial-killer story, Vanessa Hudgens' 'victim' is far more compelling than either cop Nicolas Cage or killer John Cusack.

Full Review | Sep 30, 2013

The scenes where Cage grills Cusack are the best thing about this very average thriller.

Full Review | Original Score: C- | Sep 30, 2013

Choppy and chilling, it's destined for a quick burial in the icy tundra.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/10 | Sep 2, 2013

A chilling thriller with first-rate performances by John Cusack, Nicolas Cage and Vanessa Hudgens.

Full Review | Aug 29, 2013

Are we mourning the loss of these women or delighting in their downfall, relishing their abuse? Cheap thrills destroy whatever pure intentions launched Ground, chaining the effort to the most banal of B-movie pursuits.

Full Review | Original Score: D+ | Aug 28, 2013

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Aug 27, 2013

Impressive debut from New Zealand-born Scott Walker is told with style and panache. Strong performances, fevered pacing and immersive location lensing are big pluses pushing this from "B" pic to A-.

Full Review | Aug 26, 2013

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The frozen ground: film review.

John Cusack and Nicolas Cage reenact the true story of serial killer Robert Hansen.

By THR Staff

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John Cusack and Nicolas Cage shed their familiar screen personae in The Frozen Ground , portraying real-world serial killer Robert Hansen and a detective on his trail in performances whose lack of affectation surely results from the sobering nature of the story: Hansen is thought to have killed nearly two dozen young women during the late ’70s and early ’80s. Unfortunately, writer-director Scott Walker ‘s film is a muddled and strangely inert one, generating little of the suspense or anguish its subject requires; despite its high-profile cast, the long-delayed film won’t last long in theatrical bookings.

Focusing only on the events leading to Hansen’s capture, the script offers a fictionalized Anchorage cop (Cage’s Jack Halcombe), but uses the real name of the teenaged prostitute, Cindy Paulson ( Vanessa Hudgens ), who escaped from Hansen and whose claims about being raped and imprisoned helped detectives connect him to missing-person cases abandoned years before.

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Film Review: ‘The Frozen Ground’

John Cusack and Nicolas Cage star in this solid if unmemorable true-crime drama about an Alaskan serial killer.

By Dennis Harvey

Dennis Harvey

Film Critic

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The capture of a long-running Alaskan serial killer is depicted in the solid if unmemorable true-crime drama “The Frozen Ground.” Writer-director Scott Walker ‘s feature debut stars John Cusack as the deceptively mild-mannered perp, Vanessa Hudgens as one victim who managed to get away and Nicolas Cage as the investigating state trooper who used her testimony to end a murderous spree that, once fully uncovered, proved far worse than anyone imagined. Pic began opening in various overseas territories on July 11, with a U.S. theatrical launch planned for Aug. 23. B.O. prospects look so-so, but ancillary biz should be strong.

In 1983, Cage’s Sgt. Jack Holcombe (a fictionalized version of Glenn Flothe, though other principal characters retain the names of their real-life counterparts) is about to leave Anchorage for a new job and home with his wife ( Radha Mitchell ) and daughter when he’s assigned a grim new case. Another young woman has been found in the wilderness, her corpse dug up by wild animals. While authorities deny the murders are linked, Jack believes the similarities are too blatant to deny.

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To Holcombe, however, she looks like the sole survivor of a kidnapper/rapist/murderer who might well be involved in many more missing-person cases than suggested by the few bodies dug up so far. Nearly all were at least peripherally involved in the local sex industry; several were last seen going off to a “$300 photo session” from which they never returned.

But Jack has a hard time keeping the now-wary, troubled Cindy on board as a willing witness — especially once she’s suckered into a strip club’s drug-addicting new-hire scheme — even as his investigation uncovers yet more circumstantial evidence incriminating Hansen. Meanwhile, the latter realizes Cindy could be his personal Waterloo and makes various attempts to finish the job.

The real Hansen, in prison sans possibility of parole, eventually confessed to murdering numerous women (as many as 21) from 1971 onward. Revealing whodunit early on, the pic could have used more vivid atmospherics and suspense to distinguish itself from myriad similarly themed (if mostly fictive) screen exercises. Only Gia Mantegna’s few scenes as a naively trusting, then terrified victim really bring the horror of these crimes to emotional life. Result hangs a tad slackly between thriller and procedural, but still holds attention throughout.

Hudgens is adequate in a role that should’ve been played more meaty (think Jodie Foster in “Taxi Driver”) than flashy, while Cage underwhelms in that mode of earnest, average good guy that always seems to stultify his interesting qualities as an actor. Cusack is fine as the harmless-geek-acting creep, though it’s hardly as startling a turn as his major stretch in last year’s “ The Paperboy .” Underutilized bigger names in the solid supporting cast include Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson (also a producer) as Cindy’s pimp and Mitchell, who has two big scenes that contradict one another.

The highlight of a polished but somewhat impersonal tech package is d.p. Patrick Murguia’s frequent aerial shots of the remote Alaskan landscapes where private-plane owner Hansen hunted — not just for wildlife, but for kidnapped women he’d just let loose.

Reviewed online, San Francisco, July 27, 2013. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 105 MIN.

Production: A Lionsgate release of a Grindstone Entertainment Group and Emmett/Furla Films presentation of a Cheetah Vision Films production in association with Emmett/Furla Films, Court Five, Envision Entertainment, KS Intl. Produced by Mark Ordesky, Jane Fleming, Randall Emmett, Curtis Jackson, Remington Chase, Jeff Rice. Executive producers, George Furla, Stepan Martirosyan, Kevin Frakes, Martin Richard Blencowe, Mark Stewart, Brandt Andersen, Brett Granstaff, Corey Large, Ted Fox, Elisa Salinas, Daniel Wagner, Fredrik Malmberg, Olga Valentina, Barry Brooker, Stan Wertlieb. Co-producers, Brandon Grimes, Gus Furla, Dama Claire.
Crew: Directed, written by Scott Walker. Camera (color, HD), Patrick Murguia; editor, Sarah Boyd; music, Lorne Balfe; music supervisor, Mike Burns; production designer, Clark Hunter; costume designer, Lynn Falconer; set decorator, Monique Champagne; sound (Dolby Digital/DTS/SDDS), Richard Schexnayder; supervising sound editor/re-recording mixer, David Barber; assistant director, Dan Lazarovits; casting, Annie McCarthy, Kellie Roy.
With: Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, Vanessa Hudgens, Dean Norris, Kevin Dunn, Olga Valentina, Michael McGrady, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, Kurt Fuller, Brad William Henke, Katherine LaNasa, Ryan O'Nan, Matt Gerald, Gia Mantegna, Radha Mitchell, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson.

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The Frozen Ground Review

A forgettable crime thriller with solid performances..

Scott Walker's The Frozen Ground features strong performances from stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, and even Vanessa Hudgens. Unfortunately, their collective screen presence doesn't elevate the film's boring, by-the-numbers script, which is easy to follow, but ultimately forgettable. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love by following @Max_Nicholson on Twitter, or MaxNicholson on IGN.

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Review: ‘The Frozen Ground’ Starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack & Vanessa Hudgens

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What is the allure of true crime stories beyond the truth of “well, that happened”? It’s the sort of rubbernecking that not only kept “ Law And Order ” on the air for years, but spawned a cottage industry of shows and movies geared towards illuminating the dark side of crime, dramatizing and attempting to bring structure to the cruel arbitrariness of violent murder, rape and assorted trauma. You wouldn’t think there would be so much entertainment value from seeing a star’s glassy eyes as he stands over a murder scene, attempting to register the horror before him. But that sort of mass media has always generated interest, particularly as it hides artistic deficiencies behind the veil of “true story” labeling in an attempt to render the genre critic-proof. Exhibit A: “ The Frozen Ground .”

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This overwhelmingly dreary true story follows state trooper Jack Halcombe ( Nicolas Cage ) as he pieces together a string of gruesome murders that have left body parts strewn all over the Alaskan wilderness. The harsh terrain isn’t fetishized or rendered nightmarish by digital trickery or the surgical camera of a David Fincher , but instead by first-timer Scott Walker , who admirably tackles the material with a lack of pretension. This is a dire atmosphere, devoid of life, leisure or culture of any kind. When citizens aren’t walking off into the freezing cold as a means of isolation, they’re enjoying communal efforts that seem limited to bars and strip clubs. Not a whole lot of library cards inside those wallets.

Halcombe begins to uncover seeds of circumstantial evidence that allows him to piece together a suspect. That man is Robert Hansen ( John Cusack ), an unassuming citizen well-regarded by locals for his small-town friendliness (which is to say he looks people in the eyes, and is clearly a man of unintimidating intellect) and his hunting skills (a tremendous red flag). Walker dispenses with the peekaboo of a potential mystery and reveals that Hansen indeed is capturing women, sexually violating them before ending their lives, buried without identity in the frozen ground.

Halcombe’s investigation feels shorn of the embellishments of the genre, instead hamstrung by the lack of physical evidence connecting the crimes to Hansen. This doesn’t stop him from developing a typically-cinematic antagonistic relationship with bosses played by Exasperated Higher-Up Hall Of Famers Kurt Fuller and Kevin Dunn , resulting in the type of open-office arguments that would count as insubordination, standing out among the accurately dull everyday slog of murder investigations.

The trump card is an escaped victim, a local stripper and prostitute named Cindy ( Vanessa Hudgens ). The film’s devotion to her sordid backstory, which involves drugs and prostitution, feels like a testimony to her breaking the case open, not so much to her character. Hudgens actually brings complexity to a pretty standard role, and she is quite believable as an option-less young woman gone to seed: the film’s indelicate suggestion is that, once given an extra lease on life after surviving Hansen, she doesn’t see it as a license to seek help for her addictive lifestyle. It’s the only attempt the film makes to avoid turning the women of the story into window dressing: poor Radha Mitchell is the only other prominent female character in the narrative, and as Mrs. Holcombe, she’s reduced to sitting at home, making an unseen leap from first-act worrying to third act blind support of Holcombe’s pursuit.

Cage is dialed down, almost invisible: we’ve seen this detachment from him before, sometimes in very expensive movies. But this feels more like a conscious choice: there’s a weight on his character, the suggestion that he’s seen too much that he cannot unsee. In spirit, it’s similar to his work in “ 8MM ,” where he took a backseat to the grotesque theatrics within. Of course, that was a much younger Cage, and this one feels a bit less interesting, less physical, less inviting. Now that he’s aged, Cage seems as if he can no longer play introspection unless a strong filmmaking hand guides him. Cusack, who has been chewing up scenery as of late, is actually quite good, giving Hansen an unassuming shyness that limits his overall authority. When he lashes out, he stutters and trips over his words, like a man who hunts from a distance and isn’t at all prepared for confrontation.

Ultimately, “The Frozen Ground” is a modest film with modest goals, more about noting that something happened more than debating why. Hansen’s psychology is never plumbed, and there’s never a reasoning given to his preying on young sex workers; his (thankfully not too gruesome) torture chamber is run like a business, geared towards giving him pleasure and not exorcising any needless demons. Ultimately, the cumulative effect is deadening, just another chapter in an endless battle between overtasked and underpaid good guys, and cowardly baddies; the only real humanity in the film comes from Hudgens’ Cindy, who seems like a wild card of sorts, her character’s dimensions suggesting a world outside of the lurid details of this case. Refreshingly, she’s the only one in the film who refuses to be defined by the death and tragedy surrounding her. [C]

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People as the Big Game in an Alaskan Hunt

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By Stephen Holden

Aug. 22, 2013

Does that worried look on the face of Nicolas Cage in “The Frozen Ground” signal his realization that he is trapped in a police procedural that is not as good as an average episode of “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”? Could be, although the movie, the directorial feature debut of Scott Walker , is at least watchable, unlike recent debacles starring Mr. Cage, including “Stolen,” “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance,” “Trespass,” “Seeking Justice” and “Season of the Witch.”

His character, the Alaska state trooper Jack Halcombe, is a fictional stand-in for Glenn Flothe, a dogged investigator who solved the case of a serial killer revealed to have raped and murdered at least 17 young women, most in the sex industry, between 1971 and 1983. The killer, Robert Hansen (John Cusack), kept a map indicating where he had buried the victims in the wilderness after transporting them there in his small plane and hunting them like game.

The story is set in 1983, when Halcombe, who is about to leave his post in Anchorage, is assigned to the case of a woman whose body was dug up by animals. Because of the case’s similarities to earlier unsolved murders, Halcombe believes that the crimes are linked. The discovery coincides with the rape of Cindy Paulson (Vanessa Hudgens), an abused child and teenage runaway turned prostitute who says she was kidnapped and tortured by Hansen. She escaped his clutches as he tried to load her onto his plane.

Mr. Cusack underacts the role of Hansen. He camouflages any sense of menace under a pose of a mildly aggrieved Everyman who allows that he has made mistakes in the past but insists that he couldn’t possibly be the monster Halcombe makes him out to be.

Because Hansen appears to be a solid citizen with an alibi, and the accuser is a prostitute, the police — portrayed here as lazy, cynical, misogynistic louts — dismiss her accusations. Even when Halcombe amasses reams of circumstantial evidence against Hansen, the police refuse to act.

The movie’s only fresh element is the wintry setting, which shrouds everything in a mood of weary fatalism. Otherwise, it’s the same old, same old, efficiently discharged and utterly disposable.

“The Frozen Ground” is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian) for violence, sexual situations, nudity and drug use.

The Frozen Ground Review

19 Jul 2013

105 minutes

Frozen Ground, The

A based-on-fact, Alaskan set drama in the Zodiac vein. When teenage hooker Cindy (Vanessa Hudgens) escapes from a sadistic client, the cops don’t bother to make a case, but State Trooper Jack Halcombe (Nicolas Cage) — puzzling over several corpses found in the wilderness — believes Cindy is the key to stopping prolific serial killer Bob Hansen (John Cusack). It has a few too many clichés, like the wife (Radha Mitchell) nagging the hero to take a private-sector job as he obsesses on the case and casting Curtis Jackson as a pimp, but the cat-and-mouse second half works up suspense and poignance.

Movies | 19 07 2013

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The frozen ground, common sense media reviewers.

Bleak, very violent, but compelling serial killer story.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

This is a very pessimistic movie. It takes place i

The main police sergeant is a brave man who's dedi

A serial killer kidnaps, ties up, tortures, rapes,

Some scenes take place inside a strip club, and se

Language is very strong and includes "f--k," "s--t

The teen prostitute is shown smoking lots of cigar

Positive Messages

This is a very pessimistic movie. It takes place in a world in which girls can get mistreated by their parents and run away, only to find no other options besides prostitution or stripping, and in which police are hamstrung by the law. Not even catching the bad guy seems to help much, in the grand scheme of things.

Positive Role Models

The main police sergeant is a brave man who's dedicated to helping others and risks his life and job to catch the bad guy and protect the good guys. He truly seems to care. But he's the only positive example here.

Violence & Scariness

A serial killer kidnaps, ties up, tortures, rapes, and murders prostitutes and runaways. All of this is discussed frequently, though only one victim is shown. She gets away, but she's shown being tied up and taunted; her rape is described verbally. She also talks vaguely about being abused as a child, and she's chased, threatened, and terrorized several other times during the movie. Male characters are beaten and shot in the head. A decomposed body is briefly shown. There's some general yelling and tension, and a bloody nose is shown. The movie closes with photographs of many of the killer's real-life victims.

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Sex, Romance & Nudity

Some scenes take place inside a strip club, and several topless women are shown. One or two naked female bottoms are shown. Prostitutes are shown. The killer's sexual activities are discussed; he explains that he goes to prostitutes because he doesn't like his wife to perform certain oral activities on him.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Language is very strong and includes "f--k," "s--t," the "N" word," "c--t," "bitch," "whore," "Goddamn," "hell," "Jesus," and more.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

The teen prostitute is shown smoking lots of cigarettes. She's given some crystal meth before going onstage and stripping for the first time. She also snorts some cocaine and overdoses, but she survives. The hero drinks a whisky at home after work.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Frozen Ground is based on a true story about a man who raped and killed many women in Alaska. Though not everything is shown, the material is very strong and isn't recommended for kids or teens. A young woman (played by High School Musical alum Vanessa Hudgens ) is kidnapped, tied up, and taunted. She later describes being raped, though it's not shown. Male characters are beat up and shot in the head. Scenes take place in a strip club, and several topless women are shown; sex acts are described. Language is very strong, with uses of "f--k," "s--t," "c--t," the "N" word, and more. The teen character is shown smoking many cigarettes, trying crystal meth for the first time, and overdosing (non-fatally) on cocaine. The movie closes with photographs of many of the killer's real-life victims. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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Community Reviews

Parents say (7)
Kids say (5)

Based on 7 parent reviews

James Maslow

James maslow 18+, what's the story.

In 1983, young women keep disappearing from the Anchorage, Alaska, area. Sgt. Jack Holcombe ( Nicolas Cage ) is about to be transferred when another body turns up. At the same time, prostitute/stripper Cindy Paulson ( Vanessa Hudgens ) has just escaped the clutches of potential rapist/murderer Robert Hansen ( John Cusack ) and has given her report to the police. For Holcombe, it's open and shut, but he must deal with a noncommittal police department that refuses to issue warrants, as well as a skittish witness who doesn't want to get involved. Yet each time Cindy goes into public, her life is in danger. There's only so much time to catch Hansen before another victim loses her life.

Is It Any Good?

As written and directed by Scott Walker, THE FROZEN GROUND isn't great, but it's surprisingly effective, thanks to its no-frills approach and its care with the actors and characters. Walker keeps his restless camera constantly roving, which is fine when something is happening, but headache-inducing during static conversation scenes. Also, Walker is clearly intending reverence toward the real-life victims, gives the movie an underlying dreariness. Yet at some point, it starts to work. The characters have an inner life, and the performances are strong, especially a steely-eyed Cage, who here has his best part in some time. As the killer, Cusack is soft spoken but also repellent. He's not an object of fascination, which is a unique and refreshing approach. The movie takes a few silly shortcuts here and there -- and a pimp played by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson seems to be the center for most of them -- but overall this is a decent effort.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about The Frozen Ground 's violence . How much is shown and not shown? Which has more impact, and why?

Is it shocking to see former Disney starlet Hudgens in such a dark role? Is she too young for this kind of character?

How does the portrayal of the serial killer in this movie differ from other movie serial killers, like, say, Hannibal Lecter?

Movie Details

In theaters : August 23, 2013
On DVD or streaming : October 1, 2013
Cast : John Cusack , Nicolas Cage , Vanessa Hudgens
Director : Scott Walker
Inclusion Information : Female actors, Asian actors
Studio : Lionsgate
Genre : Thriller
Run time : 105 minutes
MPAA rating : R
MPAA explanation : violent content, sexuality/nudity, language and drug use
Last updated : April 2, 2023

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Director: Scott Walker Writers: Scott Walker Stars: Vanessa Hudgens, Nicolas Cage, Dean Norris, John Cusack

Synopsis: An Alaska State Trooper partners with a young woman who escaped the clutches of serial killer Robert Hansen to bring the murderer to justice. Based on actual events.

DIRECTION Scott Walker in his full-length feature debut does a pretty good job bring a crime-drama thriller that is pretty engaging. While it’s a little monotone and slow-paced at times, other times are full of thrills and exciting moments. His camera captures the Alaskan aesthetic really well and sets up the environment well. Critics are often way too harsh on “originality, which is mostly dead, and criticize films for bringing nothing new to the table. While that plays a small role, it’s the journey to the end that critics, and fans a like, should focus on. In The Frozen Ground , there isn’t anything ground breaking about the genre, but Walker takes an interesting and tragic story and turns it into something very watchable. His biggest achievement though, getting the best performances from Nicholas Cage and John Cusack in quite some time.

SCRIPT The story, based on true events, centers around a young female girl named Cindy (Vanessa Hudgens) who was raped and about to be killed when she escaped from her killer (John Cusack). Nicholas Cage’s character, Jack Halcombe who is an Alaskan State Trooper, is on the case of a serial killer when he comes across the account of Cindy, which he think is linked to the case. The story follows how Jack believes in Cindy and does everything he can to protect her and make her feel valuable amongst finding the killer. In the meantime, Robert Hansen (Cusack) is on the hunt for more girls when he realizes that Cindy is alive and can report him, which means he has to track her down before she can reveal him. The story goes back and forth for quite some time before the stories connect but once they do there is something there. The movie is a bit arduous at times with some torture-type scenes and the effects that this situation would have on a young female. Yes, it’s a story we’ve seen and heard before but it’s one worth telling. The ending pace becomes a little quick but in the end it’s still satisfying

PERFORMANCES Yep, I can’t believe it. Nicholas Cage and John Cusack are at their best in quite sometime here. Cage needs to stick to subtle roles like this where he can fit in comfortably. If he’s going to get crazy, go back to The Rock days where it was great and a lot of fun. He plays his character pretty straight forward but you can see the passion and the committment he has here. Cusack in an actor who I never really care for (and is awful in Lee Daniels’ The Butler ) but when given the villain role here, he’s actually (and surprisingly) good. Perhaps as someone I can’t stand, he seems to fit better as the bad guy. Hudgens is pretty good here and while she’s not as fun as her role in Spring Breakers , she shows some acting chops and does a good job. Everyone else is pretty good too. Given some of this cast, it’s surprising (good surprise) not distracting at all.

SCORE Perhaps the only thing original about the movie is Lorne Balfe’s score but it’s also the most generic. Think about that for a second. It’s a thriller score if I’ve ever heard one and while it doesn’t sound bad, it’s not great either. However, it is in the background and in a thriller movie, if it’s not distracting then it works. And that’s really all that matters. Don’t expect any Oscar noms here.

Overall Grade: B+

MOST POPULAR

Podcast review: the people’s joker.

THE FROZEN GROUND

"redeeming lost women".

	None	Light	Moderate	Heavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

What You Need To Know:

(BB, C, LLL, VV, SS, NN, A, DD, M) Strong moral worldview with light Christian, redemptive elements about catching a real-life serial killer includes police detective hero is a loving father and husband, good eventually defeats evil, movie quotes Matthew 10:16 onscreen, and dignity/worth is given to lost women involved in prostitution; at least 35 obscenities and profanities (including some “f” words and strong profanities); strong violence includes men beaten and shot, discussion of sexual and brutal violence crimes against women, images of a decomposed murder victim, brief images of kidnapping and violence against one woman victim; strong sexual content includes scenes set in strip clubs, and prostitution details and sexual violence toward women and murder victims are discussed and alluded to in the dialogue; upper and rear female nudity in strip clubs; some alcohol use; smoking and a person facilitates use of an illicit drug and two people use the drug; and, kidnapping.

More Detail:

THE FROZEN GROUND gives a chilling look at the hunt for the notorious real-life serial predator, Robert Hansen (John Cusack), who preyed upon women in the 1970s and 80s in Alaska.

Set in 1983, the story follows loving father and husband Sgt. Jack Holcombe (played by Nicolas Cage). Jack pours over case files, leads his fellow officers and combs the streets to track down Cindy Paulson (Vanessa Hudgens). As the sole surviving victim who’s escaped the serial predator’s clutches, Cindy’s testimony is crucial to put away a killer who’s slipped past police hands too many times.

Though not a Christian movie per se, THE FROZEN GROUND begins by displaying Matthew 10:16 on-screen: “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves,” while ominous music floats overhead. Then, it plunges viewers into a post-crime sequence in the city of Anchorage, Alaska.

As the movie progresses, Sgt. Holcombe and his partners comb the gritty streets where prostitutes work, doggedly searching for Cindy. The officers also question people in strip clubs, all in the name of finding her and tracking the serial killer’s victims.

THE FROZEN GROUND is a well constructed, absorbing crime thriller. However, the police visits to strip clubs to find the serial killer’s one surviving victim and to track the killer’s movements contains blatant scenes of female nudity in lewd, sexually-objectifying bars.

That said, the script treats the subject of murder and the vulnerability of the women’s welfare seriously, however. For instance, the dancers’ nakedness reveals their sad, dehumanized state. The movie doesn’t paint their workplaces as attractive, but as places that debase women and the men who frequent such places. The level and amount of nudity necessitates the most extreme caution, even though it realistically shows how women are debased in such horrid environments. Such degrading places reflects the ugly tone that surrounds real women in these environments night after night across the U.S. and the rest of the world, in cities and rural areas alike.

Much of THE FROZEN GROUND surrounds the heartfelt search by Holcomb and his fellow officers. However, a couple brief scenes contain CSI-type gore, visually depicting a decrepit body.

Also, MOVIEGUIDE® issues a strong caution regarding a few detailed conversations about sexual situations and about rape. These acts aren’t shown, but the alarmingly graphic specifics keep THE FROZEN GROUND from being family friendly.

After sifting out the chaff, THE FROZEN GROUND tells a strong story of a policeman who works to find Cindy and shelter her with the sincere care and attention of a father. In one argument with a close relative who scoffs at the lengths he goes to in order to save the girl, Cage’s character responds with a line that reflects powerful, Christ-like love. Also, Cindy’s statements and questions about her own family background pointedly speak to the importance of making sure all children have a responsible, protective mother and father.

Cage’s portrayal of Sgt. Holcombe believably shows a determined officer and tender family man. His deep respect for human life fuels him to dig through the frozen ground of old cases new and old in order to stop Hansen in his tracks.

A poignant, nearly silent, scene where Cindy encounters a wild animal stands in stark contrast to the ugliness of the world she lives in and the situations with Hansen she and others have undergone. Writer/director Scott Walker makes a wonderful, creative decision to incorporate this method of showing such a comparison between the complex sin man creates and the simple, natural beauty of God’s creation.

Perhaps similar to SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, THE FROZEN GROUND contains a very good story, but also very explicit content – though the content here is sparsely dotted through the movie.

MOVIEGUIDE® recommends viewing other selections and websites for less salacious and more informative information on prostitution and sex trafficking issues. See our reviews of the narrative movie TRADE OF INNOCENTS and the documentary NEFARIOUS. Like pornography, sex trafficking is a scourge in society that preys on the weak and the young.

Movie and Film Reviews (MFR)

The Frozen Ground (2013)

Based on a true story — and actually feeling real, which is often not the case — The Frozen Ground is a film detailing a trio of interconnecting stories which give us a character on each side of the story. The film is about Robert Hansen (John Cusack), a serial killer who kidnapped, raped, killed, and buried around 20 young women over the course of several years. We follow him for part of this film. We primarily watch a detective, Jack Halcombe (Nicolas Cage), attempt to bring Hansen down. We also spend some time with a victim, Cindy Paulson (Vanessa Hudgens), who managed to escape.

The most surprising thing about this movie — apart from it not being terrible — is that it doesn’t try to be a whodunit or toy at all with who the villain is. It’s clear after the first couple of scenes that Hansen is guilty. The film is more concerned with Jack’s attempt to find enough evidence to put him away for good. This is a police procedural, a genre rarely seen in cinemas. Hansen is smart and has figured out a way to get away with his crime for years and years, so it’s going to take determination and intelligence to figure out how to prove he did it.

It winds up coming down to a race against the clock, as several factors wind up working against detective Jack. The Frozen Ground isn’t the most thrilling film — particularly because it’s too formulaic in many aspects to generate much suspense — but it has low ambitions and does match them. This could have been a terrible slog, but it’s not painful to watch at all. In fact, with a quick pace and some good performances, it might just be worth checking out.

The one thing I will say is that there is no reason for this to be a movie, except that a show like CSI wouldn’t go back in time to the 1980s to tackle a real-world case. This case could easily fit in a 60-minute television show, and apart from profanity and a scene set in a strip club, this material would be perfectly at home on a television screen. What I’m getting at is that it feels too small to be a feature film. It’s not a bad watch but it didn’t feel different from the countless detective shows on TV.

What makes it different and worth seeing, I suppose, are the background moments. Watching, for example, Jack attempt to gain Cindy’s trust, especially after all of the other police officers disregarded her claim after learning that she’s a prostitute — “How can a prostitute be raped, anyway?” — is good cinema. Her vulnerability coupled with his urgency and compassion makes for many good scenes.

You will struggle to overlook the clichés. Jack is close to moving and this is his last case. He has a wife (Radha Mitchell) who thinks he works too hard, and he should drop the case, but then she turns around at a crucial moment. Higher-ups dislike Jack re-opening cases that had been closed for a long time. One woman at the strip club takes in Cindy because “stripper with a heart of gold” is too juicy to pass up, I suppose. The entire story is predictable. You’ll notice these while the film is playing and they reduce its credibility and attempt at suspense.

Surprisingly, though, it all feels as if this is how it could have happened. The small town in which the film is set feels authentic, the scenery is used to great effect, and the actors all turn in strong performances. About the only thing that doesn’t factor in is the time period. The film is set in the early 1980s but I forgot about that a few minutes in. It could easily be taking place in 2013 and not much would have changed. About the only thing keeping it in the ’80s is the fact that it’s based on a true story.

Nicolas Cage. Just saying his name promotes a wonderful response from almost anyone — even those who aren’t big film fans. We forget how grounded and real an actor he can be. He demonstrates that in The Frozen Ground . He is our anchor. John Cusack is creepy as the villain. As the teenage prostitute, Vanessa Hudgens turns in her best performance to-date. Even those with bit parts, like Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, Radha Mitchell and … actually, those are about the only names you’ll recognize. 50 Cent is in the movie but is too ridiculous to take seriously.

The Frozen Ground is a decent police procedural and does a decent, if formulaic, job of bringing this real-life story to cinema screens. It’s not terribly thrilling, but it has a strong sense of itself and where it’s set, and it contains strong performances from most of its cast. Its side stories are more engaging than its main one. It’s a middle-of-the-road movie but it doesn’t feel like it’s a waste of time to see.

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The Frozen Ground

Review by brian eggert august 24, 2013.

Writer-director Scott Walker explores by-the-numbers true crime in The Frozen Ground , the story of real-life Detective Glenn Flothe, the investigator who solved the case of Alaska’s most prolific serial killer. Between 1971 and 1983, rapist and murderer Robert Hansen stalked and killed somewhere between 17 and 21 young women, most of them young prostitutes lured by Hansen’s promise of a $300 photo shoot. Flothe’s work helped catch Hansen in 1983, and today the serial killer is serving a 461-year prison sentence. In his debut feature, Walker sticks to a standard outline for such material and doesn’t delve deep enough into his protagonist’s life and how it was affected by the case, resulting in a lack of interest in this watchable, but ultimately uninvolving procedural.

Nicolas Cage plays State Trooper Jack Holcombe, a fictionalized version of Flothe, whereas many of the other principal characters go by their real-life names. Why, you might ask, was Flothe’s name changed? Perhaps because Walker takes certain liberties with the character’s personal life in a (failed) attempt to heighten his emotional involvement in the case. Nevertheless, Holcombe feels decidedly one-note. The film opens in 1983 with just two weeks left before Holcombe leaves his Anchorage post with his wife (Radha Mitchell) and young daughter. As his last case, Holcombe is assigned to look into the death of an unidentified woman whose body has been found in the wilderness, and the circumstances are such that Holcombe makes a connection to a series of unsolved murders and disappearances in the area since 1971.

All evidence points to mild-mannered local Bob Hansen (John Cusack), whose rap sheet features rape and kidnapping, but it’s all circumstantial. The discovery of the body also aligns with the testimony of Cindy Paulson (Vanessa Hudgens), a teenage runaway-turned-prostitute who claims Hansen handcuffed, raped, and attempted to kidnap her. At the last minute, she escaped as he tried to load her onto his airplane, but the interviewing police are quick to dismiss her claims, given her status as a street walker. Holcombe isn’t so quick to overlook Cindy’s accusation, however. And so, he tries to rescue the girl from her street life, while simultaneously investigating Hansen, who’s been careful not to leave any concrete evidence.

Cusack looks thin and pale as Hansen, but the script doesn’t explore the character enough to make him anything more than a thinly veiled monster. With black eyes and a den of taxidermied animals to echo Norman Bate’s office in Psycho , Cusack’s Hansen seems like an Average Joe, and, even after he’s exposed, he’s somewhat muted and never turns into a shocking or scary figure. Walker quickly dispels any second guesses by revealing Hansen’s true nature early on, missing an opportunity for suspense. Hudgens, meanwhile, becomes another in a series of child stars who attempt to announce their adult credibility as an actress by playing a sexualized hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold. This role could have been something akin to Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver , but instead, it’s more like Anne Hathaway in Havoc . Rapper and co-producer 50 Cent gives another wooden performance in the role of Cindy’s pimp. Mitchell is underused as a nagging wife. Breaking Bad ‘s Dean Norris also appears as Holcombe’s right-hand man.

As for Cage, there’s nothing worse than when this energetic actor is assigned to dry material, and The Frozen Ground certainly qualifies as such. Comparable to Cage’s recent turns in Seeking Justice , Stolen , and Trespass , the actor sleeps through his performance, but at least doesn’t offer any embarrassing scenes that will later appear in a derisive gag reel on YouTube. Walker’s dull approach proceeds steadily, veering off during the middle into Alaska’s underground sex industry, but never requires too much effort from the viewer. With some thirty (!) credited producers and executive producers on this project, you’d think one of them would question why Walker’s script was so unexciting or dramatically staid, but you’d be wrong. Only Patrick Murguia’s on-location photography of the Alaskan wilderness holds any notable merit. Lionsgate has doomed the film to a limited theatrical release to coincide with its VOD debut, and it’s not difficult to understand why.

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The frozen ground (2013).

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The hunter becomes the hunted

An Alaska State Trooper partners with a young woman who escaped the clutches of serial killer Robert Hansen to bring the murderer to justice. Based on actual events.

Scott Walker

Top Billed Cast

Nicolas Cage

Jack Halcombe

Vanessa Hudgens

Cindy Paulson

John Cusack

Robert Hansen

Radha Mitchell

Allie Halcombe

Jodi Lyn O'Keefe

Chelle Ringell

Katherine LaNasa

Fran Hansen

Dean Norris

Sgt. Lyle Haugsven

Pimp Clate Johnson

Gia Mantegna

Debbie Peters

Full Cast & Crew

Discussions 5

A review by Rando

Written by rando on march 23, 2021.

Watched this after it was recommended on a Podcast I listen to. One of the episodes was about Robert Hansen and all his victims. Watching the movie after listening o the podcast makes you realize all the things they left out and the horrific way that he killed all these women. Its a pretty standard police movie only you do know the criminal from the beginning the problem is trying to make the evidence stick to him. Seems like the local cops are on his side in the beginning. Its a pretty good movie to watch. Don't really need to pay attention one hundred percent but you will still under what is... read the rest.

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Status Released

Original Language English

Budget $27,220,000.00

Revenue $5,496,951.00

based on true story
pole dancer
serial killer
drug overdose
anchorage alaska

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The Frozen Ground (2013) has a crazy star-studded cast for a movie I’d never heard of.

Just encountered The Frozen Ground on Netflix and gave it a whirl. I’ve heard of Robert Hanson before (thanks Last Podcast!) and this is a dramatic retelling of his story: abducting prostitutes in Alaska, flying them out on his plane to the bush and hunting them for sport.

But god damn! What an all star cast. You’ve got Nick Cage vs John Cusack. You’ve got Vanessa Hudgens. You’ve got Dean Norris aka Hank Schrader in a similarly Hank-esque role. And then — is that 50 Cent wearing a wig? Sho is!

Really cool seeing so many recognizable people in what I guess is a B movie and Wiki says netted $5m at the box office vs a $19m budget. What other movies are like this?

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This John Wayne Western With 100% on Rotten Tomatoes Kicked Off The Genre's Best Change

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The Big Picture

John Ford's Fort Apache was groundbreaking in portraying Native Americans accurately, sparking a trend towards more respectful depictions.
The film contrasts an East-West view of America through Thursday and York's characters, addressing themes of cooperation versus domination.
Fort Apache 's impact led to more complex Native American portrayals in later films, influencing Hollywood's approach to Indigenous characters.

Fort Apache is a 1948 Western made by John Ford starring John Wayne and Henry Fonda . The film is the first of a trilogy (with 1949’s She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and 1950’s Rio Grande ) by Ford dealing with the US Cavalry in the West after the Civil War. Ford produced Fort Apache with Merian C. Cooper ( King Kong ) under the banner Argosy Pictures for RKO Radio Pictures Studio. It is considered to be one of the first movies to present “a pro-Indian” view of Native Americans . Fort Apache set a trend, followed by Broken Arrow , Cheyenne Autumn , and other films that continued the trend of more accurate portrayals of Indigenous characters.

Frank S. Nugent wrote the Fort Apache screenplay from a magazine story, “Massacre,” by James Warner Bellah . T he story borrows incidents from and closely traces the outline of General George Armstrong Custer’s career —West Point graduate, service as a brigadier general in the Civil War, sent west as a lieutenant colonel to command the 7th Cavalry at Fort Riley, Kansas, during the Indian Wars, Little Big Horn. Ford adds physical details to make Fonda, who, not surprisingly, almost steals the picture away from Wayne, look more like Custer.

Fort Apache (1948)

At Fort Apache, an honorable and veteran war captain finds conflict when his regime is placed under the command of a young, glory hungry lieutenant colonel with no respect for the local Indian tribe.

What is ‘Fort Apache’ About?

Widower, Former Civil War General, now Lieutenant Colonel, Owen Thursday (Fonda) arrives with his daughter Philly ( Shirley Temple ) to take command of an isolated Fort Apache during the Indian Wars. At the same time, 2nd Lieutenant Michael O’Rouke ( John Agar , Temple’s husband at the time) shows up. The recent West Point graduate shows an immediate romantic interest in Philly (and vice versa). Meanwhile, Thursday can only stew in anger over the perceived insult of his new wilderness assignment and demotion in rank.

At Fort Riley, Thursday takes over from the popular previous commander, Captain Kirby York (Wayne), much to the chagrin of the men at the fort, including O’Rouke’s Sergeant Mayor father ( Ward Bond ), who acts as a fatherly buffer between the rigid new commander and the men who are unaccustomed to such high-handedness. After a murderous attack on a small detail of cavalrymen by renegade Indians , York tries to convince Thursday that they were reacting to the mistreatment on the reservation by the corrupt government agent and proposes a meeting with the Apache leader Cochise to make peace. Thursday sees York’s proposal as a way to lure Cochise into an ambush and to make a new name for himself.

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A Western cinematic legacy.

‘Fort Apache’ Presents Opposing Visions of America

Fort Apache presents two opposing views of America in the 1870s, personified by its protagonists, Thursday and York. Thursday represents the view of the East that Native Americans stand in the way of Manifest Destiny, the “preordained” Westward Expansion of white settlers. We hear Thursday, newly arrived in the West, speak of being glorified by the Eastern newspapers as he secretly contemplates the elimination of Cochise. On the other hand, York has spent more time in the West and has come to understand the native peoples as having been there first. He represents a more enlightened view that seeks to find a way to coexist fairly and peacefully with the First Nations people .

In reviewing Custer’s life, on which the film is loosely based, Kevin M. Levin concludes , “ Custer’s racial outlook was perfectly consistent with the overarching racial views of white Northerners and Southerners and those he expressed publicly during Reconstruction. The United States was a white man’s nation. The very existence of the United States was predicated on the dispossession of the indigenous people. If Custer was wrong, ultimately, it was because the nation was wrong.” In different contexts, the same two opposing views—cooperation versus domination—continue to exist today.

The film also displays another conflict: the conflict between mindless duty and decency, between the spirit and the letter of the law . York believes in mutual respect for the Indians and understands that Cochise broke the treaty and left the reservation out of frustration over mistreatment by the government's representative. He gives Cochise his word that there will be peace if he returns. His superior, Thursday, in keeping with his refusal to allow his daughter to marry beneath his social station, believes Indians are not worthy of respect and considers York's promise a trick he can use to lure Cochise into a deadly ambush. York naturally feels betrayed and used. Thursday's actions further represent the government's lies, corruption, and bad faith.

Then, at the last minute before the final battle, Thursday finds a pretense, against York's protests, to order him and young O'Rourke back out of danger, sensing that York should live to succeed him as commander of the regiment and that O'Rourke and his daughter are in love and are destined to marry. His final actions seem to attempt to atone for what he ultimately realizes to have been mistakes. Finally, when newspaper reporters ask him years later to remember Thursday's legacy, York speaks only of his bravery, not his foolishness. York has a duty to speak the truth, but he tempers it with a larger and more charitable knowledge, unintentionally supporting the false legend of the Colonel's glory. This tension between duty to the law and its spirit also persists today. It is one of the reasons why the film continues to be relevant.

Did ‘Fort Apache’ Really Start a Trend to Portray Native Americans Fairly?

Pedro Armendariz and John Wayne in Fort Apache

So-called “Indians” have existed in film since the very beginning of the business. Cecil DeMille’s The Squaw Man (1913), long thought to be the very first feature film made when the East Coast studios moved to what is now Hollywood, dealt with the issue of interracial marriage between whites and Indians. In keeping with the ethnocentricity of the country’s colonial and expansionist past, the predominant image of Native Americans in the early decades of motion picture history was of bloodthirsty savages who only lived to prey on whites. This was the stuff of hundreds of serials and B movies for decades.

Before Fort Apache , some filmmakers attempted to portray Native Americans more realistically and respectfully. Films like The Vanishing American (1926) and Cimarron (1931) tried to be sympathetic and understanding even while thoughtlessly using whites to play natives. It was indeed John Ford’s 1948 epic that set the tone for a revised look at Indigenous characters, showing them as honorable but wary, dignified, naturally peaceful, reasonable, and strategically superior warriors. According to his biographer Scott Eyman , Ford had formed this view while working with the Monument Valley tribes on Stagecoach in 1939 and cultivated it with each new project or vacation to that area until the end of his life.

In his definitive guide to the Western, The Six-Gun Mystique , Western scholar John G. Cawelti documents that there was indeed a change in how Native Americans were portrayed after Fort Apache in 1948, typified by Broken Arrow (1950), Apache (1954), and Run of the Arrow (1957). Though still not entirely realistic, they dealt with Native people more complexly. Ford particularly used Indigenous peoples as actors in Cheyenne Autumn (1964). Late 20th-century films went even further toward fair and faithful portrayals with A Man Called Horse (1969), Little Big Man (1970), Dances With Wolves (1990), and Last of the Mohicans (1992). The 21st Century has witnessed the advent of films by Native filmmakers like Smoke Signals (1998), Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001), and Reservation Dogs (2021), depicting their own cultures in the modern world.

Fort Apache was immediately popular, critically acclaimed, and financially successful upon its release. It has become a classic , which may account for its 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes . Even with its flaws (attempts at comedy range unevenly from lame physical jokes to rich moments of verbal humor), it is still a well-made, exciting, and historically important work.

Fort Apache is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video in the US.

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Writer. Scott Walker. This story of the tracking of serial killer Robert Hansen trucks in cliche, as most serial killer and police procedural films do, but the strength of the acting helps ground the film. "The Frozen Ground" is best when it lands, and stays, on the faces of the leads: Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, and Vanessa Hudgens.
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Though still functioning as a solid genre piece, the chasm between intention and execution is embarrassingly apparent. Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 10, 2013. The Frozen Ground isn't ...
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cultjones 29 September 2013. Based on actual events, an Alaskan State Trooper tracks down a serial rapist and murder, Robert Hansen who manages to avoid justice for over a decade. With Nicholas Cage, John Cusack and Vanessa Hudgens, Director Scott Walker has a heavy weight line up to help bring the events to life.
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The Frozen Ground - Metacritic. 2013. R. Grindstone Entertainment Group. 1 h 45 m. Summary Based on a true story, an Alaska State Trooper partners with a young woman who escaped the clutches of serial killer Robert Hansen to bring the murderer to justice. Biography. Crime. Drama.
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Ultimately, "The Frozen Ground". is a modest film with modest goals, more about noting that something happened. more than debating why. Hansen's psychology is never plumbed, and there's ...
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