Bullet Points: Ice (1994)
There is no single path to becoming an action star. People from all walks of life have made their way into the world of action entertainment.
Some were simply working actors who found success in action roles. Some were stuntmen who got the chance to break out of anonymity and become the featured player. Others were martial artists, bodybuilders, professional wrestlers, football players, rappers and basketball players who parlayed the notoriety and success gained in their particular fields into starring roles in action movies. There have even been sitcom stars and radio disc jockeys who have had the opportunity to become action heroes.
But I’m not sure there is anyone in action movie history that took a more unique path than former adult film star, Traci Lords. After a great deal of controversy surrounding her age, Lords transitioned from the world of pornographic films into the mainstream in the late 80’s.
Lords landed numerous acting gigs in movies and television shows. The world of action entertainment was especially kind to Lords, allowing her to leave the past behind her and providing her with plenty of acting opportunities. Lords appeared in action movies like Blade, Black Mask 2: City of Masks, Intent to Kill (with the incomparable Yaphet Kotto) and the subject of this review, 1994’s Ice…
- Mr. and Mrs. Catburglar: Charley Reed (Phillip Troy Linger of To Be the Best fame) and Ellen Reed (Traci Lords) are husband and wife cat burglars. The Reeds work exclusively for insurance companies that are looking to go beyond the law in order to get the jewels they insure back to where they belong. We are first introduced to the Reeds as they are on a stakeout outside the home of crime boss Vito Malta (Jorge Rivero of Death Match fame). When Malta and most of his crew leaves, Ellen Reed springs into action. Her mission… retrieve a boat load of diamonds that Malta’s men recently obtained during a jewelry store robbery. Ellen has some serious skills. She takes out the guards, uses some well placed mirrors to foil the laser security system and cracks the safe and she does all this before Malta and his crew return. The next thing you know, Ellen and Charley are celebrating a job well done by taking a shower with their clothes on… you see by 1994 Traci Lords was no longer in the on screen nudity business.
- Change in Plans: While things ended well, the job at Vito Malta’s home was extremely dangerous. Charley suffered a minor injury and Ellen narrowly escaped with her life. This gets Charley’s wheels turning and he decides the $50,000 the insurance company was going to pay them was not worth the risk they took, especially considering the diamonds are valued north of $50 million! So Charley decides he is just going to keep the diamonds. Ellen is not happy with the fact that she was not consulted on this decision or the decision to get her estranged brother Rick Corbit (Zach Galligan) involved to fence the diamonds. But before Charley’s early retirement plans can come to fruition, Charley, Ellen and Rick find themselves involved in a shoot out at the Santa Monica Pier. The result… Charley is killed, Rick takes a plunge into the Pacific and escapes with the diamonds and Ellen is down at the police station answering questions.
- Wanted Woman: The police strongly suspect that Ellen and her now late husband stole the diamonds and that Ellen knows where the diamonds are, although they can’t prove it. One of the detectives on the case, Detective Alan Little (Jaime Alba in his final acting role) has a crush on Ellen. Little used to watch Ellen before her days as a cat burglar when she would sing at local jazz clubs… so needless to say his interest in her is both professional and personal… Vito Malta is not out of the picture he wants “his” diamonds back, even though he stole them to begin with. And to add to the mess she finds herself in, Ellen’s no good brother Rick cuts a deal to sell the diamonds to another crime boss, Anthony Morita, and now Morita and his men are after Ellen too.
Ice culminates at a race track where Ellen has her final showdown with Vito Malta and we learn whether or not Ellen and Rick can finally put their differences behind them. Did I mention there is a helicopter involved?
Produced by PM Entertainment, Ice is a great example of what PM Entertainment brought to the direct to video table in the 1990’s in terms of the quality of action and their willingness to take a chance on an actor or actress in a starring role. Traci Lords proved to be a pretty effective woman of action and I’m surprised we didn’t get more Lords/PM collaborations than we did.
No surprise here… it is time for some Bonus Bullet Points…
- If You Ever: …wanted to see Traci Lords punch Zach Galligan right in the kisser, then this is the movie for you!
- Husband and Wife: Phillip Troy Linger may have played Traci Lords’ husband in Ice, but her actual husband at the time, Brook Yeaton, was the director of the movie. Yeaton and Lords first met on the set of the Johnny Depp flick, Cry-Baby.
- Familiar Faces: Mike Toney, a staple of PM Entertainment, played mobster Anthony Morita. The bulk of Toney’s acting work was in PM Entertainment produced films including Final Impact and Deadly Bet… The man Vito Malta meets/fights in the parking lot early on in the film, Jimmy The Courier, was played by Michael Bailey Smith. Action fans may recognize Smith from his roles in CIA Code Name: Alexa, Men in Black II and Cyborg 3: The Recycler.
- PM Recycling: Speaking of recyclers… PM Entertainment repurposed footage from the jewelry store robbery scene from Ring of Fire II: Blood and Steal for the opening sequence of Ice.
- Modus Operandi: One of Vito Malta’s go to moves is to use a briefcase filled with explosives against his enemies.
- One Question: Does everyone in California have a helicopter pilot’s license? Both Ellen Reed and Rick Corbit just jump right into the cockpit of the helicopter like it is no big deal, like anyone can fly one of those whirlybirds.
- Promotional Consideration: During the big racetrack finale, an ad for Balboa Auto Parts is clearly on display. I am happy to report 20+ years later that Balboa Auto Parts is still going strong. If you are ever in Granada Hills, CA and in need of auto parts, stop by their place located at 10365 Balboa Blvd.
- If You Ever: …wanted to see Traci Lords vacuum her living room, then this is the movie for you. And for you older readers, if you ever wanted to see Traci Lords “run the sweeper” this is the movie for you.
