Greetings again from the darkness. Dramatizations are at their best when actual footage of the subject or event doesn't exist. They can be an effective way to highlight a particularly interesting story or person with details we might not otherwise access. Richard Kuklinski's story is fascinating and frightening. He is known as the mob's most prolific hit-man/contract killer. Writer/director Arial Vromen has adapted Anthony Bruno's novel for the screen, and wisely cast Michael Shannon in the lead. It makes a nice companion piece to the chilling 1992 documentary The Iceman Tapes: Conversations with a Killer.

The movie is dominated by the hulking presence of Shannon as Richard Kuklinski. Shannon is no match for the physical size of Kuklinski, but his movements and the camera angles capture the powerful and imposing monster that he was. If you are unfamiliar with Kuklinski's story, he killed somewhere between 100-250 people. His missions were carried forth in cold-blooded, heartless and widely disparate manners. Additionally, he often dismembered his victims and froze bodies and parts to prevent the actual time of death from being established. He was good at his job, but hardly a good guy. But wait! Not so fast ...

Kuklinski was also a husband a father of two daughters who made up what appeared to be a lovely, normal family in suburban New Jersey. This guy had an internal switch he flipped from the street to the dining room table. When he was captured, his wife and daughter claimed they had no clue what he did for a living (he had told them he was in Finance). Sure, they admitted to his having a wild temper and even threatening his wife a few times, but they never once considered that he was a cold-blooded killer by day and neighborly barbecue dad on weekends.

Winona Ryder plays Deborah, Kuklinski's wife. Before you roll your eyes, you should know that Ryder is exceptional in the role. Her tease in Black Swan gave us hope she had returned to form, but this turn displays the talent we always knew was there. The always dependable and creepy Ray Liotta is perfectly cast as Roy Demeo, the mobster for whom Kuklinski worked. The scenes with Shannon and Liotta together are bone-chillingly frightening. Chris Evans (light years from Captain America) plays fellow hit-man Robert Prongay aka Mr Freezy. Kuklinski credits Prongay with valuable insight into poison and disposal of bodies. It's heart-warming to see that even contract killers have support groups. Other support work comes courtesy of David Schwimmer as Josh (Demeo's right hand man),Robert Davi (as Leonard Marks. Demeo's link to the family head),James Franco (as one of the hits),and Stephen Dorff as Kuklinski's incarcerated brother Joey.

Childhood flashbacks give us the table-setting necessary to understand the balance of nature v nurture in the Kuklinski household. Still, no matter how much abuse or misery one has a child, it's difficult to comprehend the stoic evil that possessed Kuklinski. And to be clear, Michael Shannon's performance is his best yet ... and that is saying a great deal. He has become one of the most interesting actors - one who can take the lead as he does here and in Take Shelter, or as a scene-stealing supporter in Revolutionary Road, Mud and the upcoming Man of Steel (as General Zod). He's not a flashy actor, just an extremely talented one.

Vromen captures the gritty feel of the nearly three decades of "family" life in a manner that reminds of Kill the Irishmen ... the Ray Stevenson take on Danny Greene. The atmosphere and inner turmoil are similar, but there is no comparison the Kuklinski evil. Should you doubt this, I would highly recommend the documentary previously mentioned. Watching the actual dead eyes of the real Richard Kuklinski as he talks about his life is beyond horrifying.

THE ICEMAN is based on the supposed true story of a Mafia hit-man who killed hundreds of people during a period ranging from the 1960s to the 1980s. It's deliberately styled to reflect the 'classic' gangster films of yesteryear, particularly Scorsese's GOODFELLAS, taking place in the same era and even with some of the same cast members (Ray Liotta, here taking the sort of role Robert De Niro would have played back in the day).

The protagonist is played by the excellent Michael Shannon, of TV's BOARDWALK EMPIRE, and he helps to make this a grounded, realistic production. I admit I'm biased: I can't get enough of this guy, I love the kooky characters he plays and this is another addition to that fold. There are some great supporting actors in the film too, including an unrecognisable Chris Evans as a psycho (the best I've seen from him) and Robert Davi as another old-time gangster. I spent ages trying to place one character only to realise it was David Schwimmer, a far cry from FRIENDS.

The storyline is quite predictable but there's plenty of violence and outrageous situations to keep things bubbling along, and there seems to be little "fat" on the narrative to slow things down. Winona Ryder gets short shrift as Shannon's wife, but then the focus is on executions and the like so family life doesn't count for much. THE ICEMAN is a dark gangster outing and a film I enjoyed greatly.

Based on a true story, it's 1964 New Jersey. Richard Kuklinski (Michael Shannon) works in a lab processing porn. He's the strong silent type dating Deborah Pellicotti (Winona Ryder). He's also a killer. A year later, he's married starting a new family. Mob boss Roy Demeo (Ray Liotta) sees something in Kuklinski and makes him his hit man. Richard continues to lie to his family as he becomes an expert mob killer. Events force him to work independently with another killer Mr. Freezy (Chris Evans). Demeo finds out and threatens everything. The media starts calling the killer 'The Iceman'.

Michael Shannon is an expert at playing the quiet intense guy who explodes. That's what he does here. He's great at what he does. The story of his mob life is surprisingly boring. It lacks tension. The main tension comes from his life with his wife. In the end, this only has Shannon and not much else.