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Parents' Guide to

The Ice Road

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Thrilling action movie has some violence, swearing.

Movie PG-13 2021 103 minutes
The Ice Road Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 9+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Rich T.
Rich T. Parent of 14 and 16-year-old
April 29, 2023
age 13+

Would not recommend

Unfortunately this was one of the worst action movies I've seen I've seen in a few years. Liam Neeson is great and some of the action was fun, but the overall plot was very weak and many of the action scenes and situations were flawed and painful to watch. The relationship between he and his brother is endearing but doesn't make up for the rest of it. It does preset some good opportunities for discussion with kids such as how people with disabilities are treated, racism and loyalty.
Eclecticmom
Eclecticmom Parent
July 3, 2021
age 11+

Intense, Good for 11+

I watched this with my 11 and 15yr old girls. My 11yr old was on the edge of her seat. She’s sensitive and doesn’t take well to too much violence, so this was a good balance. There’s one scene in the beginning where someone sacrifices his life to save the others. It’s a dramatic scene. There were also some teaching moments for me and I was able to discuss the treatment of people with disabilities and about relations with Native/indigenous people of Canada. We even looked up ice roads after the movie. There are curse words, violence (no horrific scenes), but no sex or nudity. I recommend it.
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE ICE ROAD, Mike (Liam Neeson) is a truck driver who is once again between jobs after defending his mechanic brother Gurty (Marcus Thomas), an Iraq veteran who struggles with PTSD and aphasia, from bullies. Meanwhile, due north and roughly 400 miles below the Arctic Circle, one of the Katka Diamond Mine tunnels has exploded, leaving several miners trapped and struggling to stay alive. It's also April, and most of the men who are "Ice Truckers" are either spending their hard-earned winter money in sunnier climes, or else don't want to risk driving across ice that's likely to crack and open up, which is why many truckers consider these drives to be "suicide missions." Unwilling to leave Gurty in a VA Hospital when he sees that the doctors only want to keep him drugged and numb, Mike sees the alert asking for ice truckers willing to deliver the supplies needed to rescue the miners. He meets with Jim (Laurence Fishburne), another ice trucker working for the mining company who wants to rescue his friends, and soon Mike and Gurty are hired to join the mission. They're joined by Tantoo (Amber Midthunder), a skilled truck driver when she isn't in jail protesting White encroachment on Native American lands, whose brother Cody is one of the miners. They're also joined by Varnay (Benjamin Walker), a seemingly straitlaced actuary for the company. In three semitrucks each carrying the same cargo needed to rescue the miners, these five begin the journey north. Soon, they learn that not only are the roads dangerous, but there's also a conspiracy at work -- one involving the executives of the mine. Somehow, Mike and the others must find a way to get to the mine before the miners die from lack of oxygen, and they must also reveal the conspiracy behind the explosion that trapped them in the first place.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (6 ):

This edge-of your-seat action tale is taut and suspenseful from beginning to end. In The Ice Road, Liam Neeson, in what may be his last action movie, plays Mike McCann, a North Dakota trucker who bounces from job to job primarily because he's trying to keep his brother Gurty from getting into trouble. Desperate for work and wanting to keep Gurty out of a VA Hospital where he'll be numb and drugged by uncaring doctors, Mike decides to apply for a job other truckers consider to be a "suicide mission" -- a delivery of needed supplies to trapped miners that requires driving along melting "ice roads" in April. From the moment the trucks leave to make the journey north to the diamond mine, the action is unrelenting, with some enjoyable (if not altogether unsurprising) plot twists along the way.

While The Ice Road has its fair share of action movie conventions, there's as much of a reliance on the story as on the action sequences to sustain audience interest. We know what's at stake for these characters, and the dialogue is nowhere near as groan-worthy as, for instance, the entire Fast and Furious franchise. While Neeson delivers a fantastic performance, the other leads are also solid throughout, and we also learn that, despite its much-lauded national identity, Canadians are quite capable of being bad guys. If this is Neeson's last action movie, it's a terrific way to bow out, as The Ice Road is as thrilling as it is fun.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about action movies like The Ice Road. How does this compare to other action movies you've seen? What's the appeal of this type of movie?

  • How do the characters of Gurty and Tantoo challenge stereotypes? Why is representation of diverse people so important?

  • Did the violence seem necessary to the story, or did it seem gratuitous? Why?

Movie Details

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