The Frozen Ground | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

61% Tomatometer 57 Reviews 50% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings

A teenage escapee (Vanessa Hudgens) provides a critical break in the case, as an Alaskan detective (Nicolas Cage) hunts a serial killer who has been preying on women for 13 years.

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The Frozen Ground

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Critics Consensus

Though this by-the-numbers true procedural seems basic, The Frozen Ground presents a welcome return for Nicolas Cage in a solid performance.

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The Frozen Ground | Rotten Tomatoes (1) Larushka Ivan-Zadeh metro.co.uk You’ll still find the tension has you gripping your seat, thanks to the taut cat and mousery between ol’ Con Air co-stars Cusack and Cage. Rated: 3/5 Sep 5, 2017 Full Review The Frozen Ground | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Sheila O'Malley RogerEbert.com "The Frozen Ground" trucks in cliche, as most serial killer and police procedural films do, but the strength of the acting (from the leads down to people with only one or two lines) helps ground the film. Rated: 3/4 Aug 27, 2013 Full Review The Frozen Ground | Rotten Tomatoes (3) Lou Lumenick New York Post A taut procedural with atmospheric location work that traces Cage's clock-racing efforts to find evidence against Cusack ... Rated: 2.5/4 Aug 23, 2013 Full Review The Frozen Ground | Rotten Tomatoes (4) JD Duran InSession Film Nicholas Cage and John Cusack are at their best in quite sometime here. Rated: A- Aug 16, 2024 Full Review The Frozen Ground | Rotten Tomatoes (5) Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Only Patrick Murguia’s on-location photography of the Alaskan wilderness holds any notable merit. Rated: 1.5/4 Aug 25, 2022 Full Review The Frozen Ground | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens Nerve-wracking, nail biting and blood curdling, The Frozen Ground will send chills down your spine while warming your heart. Nov 27, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Pauline H No character development. An amazing story, poorly executed. If you want to hear the story in-depth, I recommend Psychopedia podcast. Rated 1.5/5 Stars • Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 11/23/24 Full Review nadalee m This movie had a ton of potential. It’s a gripping and devastatingly horrible true story, and the Alaskan setting makes it that much more chilling (no pun intended). Sadly, this movie falls flat. Poor storytelling, poor pacing, and above all, poor acting. Nicholas Cage was okay, not his worst performance ever but nothing special. Cusack was semi-engaging yet cliche and predictable as the killer. I think he could have shined had he been given better counterparts and a better script. Vanessa Hudgens was a complete disaster… she ruined the movie for me. She had a terrible fake “ghetto accent” that she would turn on and off randomly throughout the film. She didn’t sell the part at all; everything about her acting was terrible. Breaking Bad’s Dean Norris was the only one who delivered a believable performance, and his role was small. For a thriller, the movie dragged in places. It lacked suspense, which is surprising given the source material. The “gotcha” moment where Cage/Hudgens catch the killer offered very little emotional payoff. The whole film leaves a lot to be desired. Such a shame because, as I said, there was a lot of potential and it was wasted on a subpar film. Rated 1.5/5 Stars • Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 11/17/24 Full Review Justin W I've seen this movie a couple times. While the performances of Cage and Cusack are both good, the movie mostly spins it's wheels and not much happens. Watchable but not great. Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 11/14/24 Full Review Matthew D John Cusack's serial killer, Nicolas Cage's cop, and Vanessa Hudgens' prostitute have to carry this average psychological thriller. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/08/24 Full Review Gabriel S Care for a fast-paced thriller that works for what it tries to deliver? The Frozen Ground is a good choice.In this story, Alaska State Trooper Sgt. Jack Halcombe is about to retire from his duty within 2 weeks, but the discovery of a body in the wilderness might reveal a serial killer on the loose. Now Jack wants to find the killer before he gets another victm, but also he has to deal with his marriage that seems to be breaking apart.Entertaining as this movie is, we can't ignore a few facts. First, the cinematography is frantic, to say the least. I even joked during the movie that I could not count one shot that lasted over 15 secods. Cuts everywhere, this movie is on 'roids, speeding through event after event until we get to the climax.This is not a detective story, though it might feel like it. We know who is the serial killer from the start, and what we watch is Nick Cage racing to frame John Cusack for his deeds, all while relying on one traumatized victim that Vanessa Hudgens plays.The Frozen Ground is based on the real acts of serial killer Robert Hansen, and the story tries to be as fateful as possible with the addition of some spicy drama.Frenetic plot points aside, Jack Halcombe's marriage problems are just dismissible backdrop that seems unrelated to everything we see. We could cut that subplot and the story would be the same; felt formulaic.Overall, The Frozen Ground entertains for what it is, and the tribute it tries to pay works. If you want to see solid John Cusack acting, this is one good entry. If you want to see a good movie, this is also a good try. Lacks outstandingness, but entertains enough. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/20/24 Full Review Kevin M A great movie. I didn’t know what to expect when I watched it the first time, but I was quickly hooked. This is an excellent film based on the real life story of serial killer Robert Hansen. Great acting performances by the entire cast (especially the main characters played by Nicholas Cage; John Cusack and Vanessa Hudgens). It’s a thrilling ride that keeps you engrossed in the story throughout the entire film! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/30/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Scott Walker Director Nicolas Cage Jack Holcombe John Cusack Robert Hansen Vanessa Hudgens Cindy Paulson 50 Cent Pimp Clate Johnson Radha Mitchell Allie Halcombe
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Synopsis A teenage escapee (Vanessa Hudgens) provides a critical break in the case, as an Alaskan detective (Nicolas Cage) hunts a serial killer who has been preying on women for 13 years.

Director
Scott Walker

Producer
50 Cent, Randall Emmett, Jane Fleming, Dama Claire

Screenwriter
Scott Walker

Distributor
Lionsgate Films

Production Co
Grindstone Entertainment Group

Rating
R (Language|Drug Use|Sexuality/Nudity|Violent Content)

Genre
Mystery & Thriller

Original Language
English

Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 23, 2013, Limited

Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 2, 2015

Runtime
1h 45m

Sound Mix
SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS
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