Icefall

Harlan is a young Indigenous game warden who cuffs a notorious poacher and discovers the man knows where a crashed plane full of cash lies under a frozen lake. Word spreads fast, and a dangerous mix of criminals and corrupt officers converges on the remote site. Outgunned and outnumbered, Harlan ends up working with the very outlaw he arrested, an uneasy alliance formed out of necessity. They press across fragile ice and through brutal cold, using local knowledge and improvised tactics to stay ahead of those who want the money, racing against warming weather and escalating violence without revealing key twists or the final outcome.

Icefall, released in 2025, was directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky and created by George Mahaffey. The cast features Joel Kinnaman, Cara Jade Myers, Danny Huston, Graham Greene, and Martin Sensmeier, combining genre thrills with rugged, icy locations and strong ensemble performances.

Icefall opened in select theaters and reached wider audiences through streaming platforms. Its box office was modest, with most attention coming from online viewership and genre fans rather than blockbuster crowds, helping the film find a steady niche audience.

The film stands out for centering an Indigenous protagonist in a mainstream action thriller, showcasing landscape and local knowledge as elements of tension. Its icy showdown sequences and moral ambiguity sparked conversations about representation in genre cinema and brought attention to Indigenous actors in high-stakes, commercially minded storytelling roles today.

Critics gave Icefall mixed to positive reviews, noting solid performances and taut action though some found plot familiar. Viewers praised the winter atmosphere and moral gray zones, where survival instincts, corruption among authorities, and uneasy alliances shape character choices against a relentlessly hostile environment. Joel Kinnaman's lead turn stood out.