'You should never think you can never make it. You should always believe there'll be a way," said one explorer to another while travelling 1,450km across a bone-chilling climate in a historical expedition.
Written by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and directed by Peter Flinth, Against The Ice is a survival drama based on the true story of a Danish Arctic expedition in 1909. It tells the tale of Captain Ejnar Mikkelsen (Coster-Waldau), a Danish explorer who sets off on an expedition to Greenland. Besides his inexperienced crew member Iver Iversen (Joe Cole), Ejnar left the rest of his crew with the ship to embark on a journey across the ice in an attempt to disprove the United States' claim to northeast Greenland under the belief that it would be split into two pieces of land. Over a period of several years, Ejnar and Iver contend with the harsh conditions of the Arctic and dwindling food supplies. Both men battle extreme hunger, fatigue and even polar bear attacks. Soon, their mental hold on reality and trust starts to fade as they struggle to survive.
Although it's unclear how much of this movie is historically accurate, I still found Against The Ice to be an enjoyable experience. Despite the film losing momentum at a certain point, the compelling premise, cinematography and solid performances of the two lead characters make it worth watching. However, as part of the narrative of their journey across the ice, there are some dismal situations involving teams of sled dogs, so if you're a dog or animal lover, you might want to skip this movie or at least be prepared for what you're about to get yourself into.
If you're able to get past that, the cinematography in Against The Ice is stunning and hauntingly beautiful. The camera captures the seemingly never-ending white of snow that makes you feel the desolation of the Arctic. From blizzards to rocky terrain to thinly frozen waters, these white and grey palettes create a hopeless feeling that reinforces every horrible thing our two main characters face, similar to other survival movies like Alive (1993), The Grey (2011) or Arctic (2018).
Coster-Waldau, who is best known as Jaime Lannister in Game Of Thrones, also happens to be a screenwriter and he does a good job in his role here as a headstrong captain bound by duty and without the same moral compass compared to other members of his crew. The other main character Iver (Cole) is pretty much the opposite of Ejnar. He is a mechanic and a fan of Ejnar's reputation, so he is eager to go on the expedition. But for Iver, it's more about the adventure than political motivations, which makes sense given his younger age and complete lack of experience in expeditions. The dialogue between the two is well-delivered and becomes impactful later in the story.
For a movie that takes place in the middle of nowhere, I was surprised at how much variety the filmmakers were able to show. There is always something happening around every corner that keeps things fresh and exciting. However, while the first two-thirds of the movie is fantastic, it loses some steam late on. It almost feels like the film somehow shifts its genre from gritty, realistic survival adventure to psychological thriller. During this segment, there's not much that happens with the two characters as they are just sitting around in an impossible situation. However, we see the mental swings that a person experiences after being isolated for quite a while, and they start to see things that really are not there. And while there's nothing wrong with that transition, I think it's not as strong as the first half of the film.
Nevertheless, Against The Ice is both informative and entertaining. And from a historical standpoint, it gives us some insights into what it would take to go on an expedition through the Arctic without the luxury of today's technology. So if you like movies with a survival theme set in a historical time period, be sure to give this one a try.
- Against The Ice
- Starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Joe Cole, Heida Reed
- Directed by Peter Flinth
- Now streaming on Netflix
