The Ice Storm

The Ice Storm is currently streaming in the UK on BFI Player and Studiocanal Presents Amazon Channel, and it rewards the patience it asks of you. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. 749 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Kevin Kline's performance alone is worth the time investment. Put it on tonight on BFI Player and see for yourself.

The Ice Storm is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. The writing in The Ice Storm treats its characters as people first, plot devices second. In the weekend after thanksgiving 1973 the Hood family is skidding out of control. Then an ice storm hits, the worst in a century. Kevin Kline and Joan Allen lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1997. The Ice Storm resists tidy resolutions in a way that respects how messy real consequences actually are. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Viewers drawn to character-driven storytelling will find plenty to sit with in The Ice Storm. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Kevin Kline anchors a cast that never overplays its hand. The kind of drama that stays with you well after the finale.