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An almost-perfect film-noir crime thriller that is more than just a crime thriller.

Imagine a Coen Brothers masterpiece (like "Blood Simple (1984)," for example), add one delicious scoop of "The Grifters (1990)" in which John Cussack again played the anti-hero protagonist, sprinkle a pinch of "Blue Velvet (1986)" on top, and when the dough is rising, leaven it with ample measure of buddy-comedy (injected with a big heart by Oliver Platt), and there you have it -- "The Ice Harvest."

Of course one must mention the good-as-always acting of Billy Bob Thornton as no-gooder Vic, a slick small-town operator who eventually gets his comeuppance. (In the DVD's "Bonus Materials" section, make sure to watch BBT's hilarious shift into his Sling Blade (1996) character at a crucial restaurant scene. The slide-splitting spoof was of course not included in the movie.)

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The whole story takes place over a single night - that of Christmas Eve... It's cold and raining in Wichita, Kansas, and the young Charlie (Cussack) leaves Wichita's main bank with a bag full of cash. We know that this is a smooth white-collar crime in progress. The rest of the town is trying to find some solace in lonely bars and busy restaurants.

Charlie is a dirty attorney who also runs an old fashioned strip joint complete with naked pole-dancing. Charlie also happens to work for Wichita's dangerous strong man Bill Guerrard (Randy Quaid). However this fact does not stop him from robbing over 2 million dollars that belongs to Bill.

Afterwards, his partner-in-crime Vic emerges as his principal headache because Charlie just can't trust the guy. Thieves never get a good night's sleep. Both Charlie and Vic also realize that they are toast if and when Bill finds out that his personal attorney, the man he trusted with his fortune, has helped himself to over 2 million dollars over the Christmas Eve.