Freezer (2014)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

A man wakes up in a freezer after he was celebrating his birthday in a restaurant and while he was at the restroom some Russian mobsters have kidnapped him and put him in a freezer and threats that they will leave him there and freeze to death if he doesn't tell them where he has hided an important amount of cash. Just like other movies that the action takes place in one location for almost the entire duration and here we remind of Buried or Brake this one has a few moments when it can be boring in fact at some point it gets very frustrating watching that gangsters entering and exiting through the door. Also they are so amateur leaving a man who believe he stoled so much money untied with a lot of sharp object near him like meat hooks or a cutter. The story complicated without purpose when it could be so much simple although many will not expect at some twists. It's just an ordinary kidnapped hostage money recovery type of movie but with an ending far more stupid. But still deserves a watch.

The initial premise is good. Man wakes up trapped in Meat locker, not sure how he gets there and said plot unfolds. The film itself try to follow the mold of the genre, but quickly collapses with plot holes, meandering dialogue and poor continuity. The arrival of the 3 Russians really signals the end of the film for me. The crazy one with the gun, the beauty with the tragic accent, the bodyguard with the acting skills of a hamster and the lead himself, bantering inanely trying to save his life.The conclusion is predicable, the acting in general stilted and unless you get this movie free, then just re-watch several of the other films available in this genre, then you won't feel you've lost 90 Min's of your life.

I chuckled at another IMDb reviewers title because it is sort of true. They referred to this film as a "lukewarm" freezer. Freezer has some potential certainly, and it is entertaining at times, twisted and well acted. I am personally constantly impressed when a film maker can make a movie even remotely interesting set entirely in one location. This film is set in the now tried and true genre of Buried, Brake, Saw (to a lesser extent) and Phone Booth. One locale, minimal cast, twists and turns and plenty of thrills. Freezer is fortunate to have a decent sized star at the front of the cast who turns in a very good performance. He is definitely the one to watch in this. Still the story is decent, if not just a little more complex than it needs to be and perhaps tries a little too hard. One of the best things about this type of genre is the "big reveal" at the end. Most times it is the opportunity to truly shock the audience like Buried or Saw truly did in my opinion. The big reveal at the end of Freezer is average at best and just feels really anti-climatic. It isn't that I saw it coming, its just that it felt forced and like they ran out of ideas so its a bit of a let down.I very much enjoy Dylan McDermott. I think he's a versatile intense actor who has great charisma on screen. I think he saves this film from being completely mediocre. McDermott shows an intensity and really does put everything into the performance. His tough exterior and wise cracks and dark humour works extremely well in this situation and he is definitely the highlight of the film. Yuliya Snigir is average in her role as the mysterious woman overseeing McDermott's torture. Snigir is often campy in her display of emotions and she overacts many of the scenes. There is very little chemistry between her and McDermott and she doesn't impress much in the role. The supporting cast are all decent though predictable. Andrey Ivchenko and Pascal Petardi fit their roles well as Russian meat-head mobsters who look angry and yell. Peter Facinelli is also decent in an unfortunately small role as a Detective in a similar situation as McDermott.The film is good, the story is good, the performances are good but it definitely doesn't go beyond just good. It tries very hard but unfortunately that came come across as more desperation to be entertaining than creative. Director Mikael Salomon has had one major theatrical credit essentially and since then has been an avid director in Television ever since. There is nothing wrong with that, he's been involved in some strong Television credits but Freezer feels like it wants to be a TV episode rather than a full film. Its just a tad cumbersome and meanders through some of the details and even uses the same violent shock scene twice which doesn't bode well for a movie that is all in one locale. When all is said and done Freezer will entertain you but I understand those that found it disappointing. However, McDermott fans can be rest assured he does a great job. 7/10

Decent rental. This is a good one room suspense sorta thriller kinda movie. It has been McDermott's year over all, and this movie is just a very formulaic example of why. The rest of the cast are basically just stereotypes meant only as props for McDermott to bounce around, or flirt with. The trademarked cold stare is used in the most literal way. Good acting for the most part, you are really taken for a ride here not quite a tight story, although everything that made no sense at first is explained eventually. I Enjoyed the story, and was kept off my toes long enough to Enjoy the ride as well so I would recommend this one for an evening in, and can safely say you will have a fun time in the Freezer the Movie.