11 Years Later, Nicolas Cage’s Box Office Disappointment Suddenly Climbs Netflix’s Chart

Summary:

• Back in 2013, the world saw a thriller about the police investigation of the case of the real-life Alaskan serial killer, starring Nicolas Cage.
• It’s a must watch for the fans of Zodiac and Prisoners.

Nicolas Cage is the cinema’s giant, famous mostly for his mainstream action movies, like The Rock (1996), Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) and, of course, the Ghost Rider film series (2007–2011). Nevertheless, he’s also much of a thriller actor, capable of putting more suspense and mystery with his impeccable performances.

It’s proved by the film, which is now surprisingly holding the seventh place in Netflix ’s global chart, even though it was released in 2011 and since that has been seemingly forgotten. It’s definitely a must-watch for the crime procedurals’ enjoyers.

The movie’s plot revolves around an Alaskan policeman, portrayed by Cage, who is having much trouble solving the biggest case of his whole career, the one of a serial killer (John Cusack), kidnapping and performing sexual assault on the young women.

He’s accompanied by a reckless prostitute (Vanessa Hudgens), appearing to be the maniac’s victim who managed to avoid death. They embark on a complicated journey towards proving the murderer is in fact a family man and an owner of the city’s cafe.

Such a synopsis can clearly remind you of David Fincher’s Zodiac (2007) or Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners (2013), both following the police’s manhunt for a dangerous criminal and their inability to catch the guilty one because of his intelligence. However, it’s the movie titled The Frozen Ground we’re talking about.

Another important detail connecting Nicolas Cage’s thriller with Zodiac is that they’re both based on real-life events. Yes, the onscreen Alaskan serial killer is written off Robert Hansen, who abducted, raped and murdered at least 17 women in the 1970’s.

The movie’s featured locations are reminiscent of another famous thriller, Jeremy Renner ’s Wind River, set during the winter on the Wind River Indian Reservation. It turns out to be a rare movie about Alaska which was in fact filmed there, and the depiction of Alaska’s natural scenery certainly adds to its spectacularity.

Disappointingly, The Frozen Ground was a box office failure, as it grossed a shameful $5.6 million against a production budget of $19.2 million. However, it doesn’t interfere with the movie being a worth-watching thriller gem.

“Very engrossing movie that you'll like if you liked Zodiac,” concludes Redditor @nintrader.

Indeed, fans of this crime thriller can’t miss The Frozen Ground, which is available for streaming on Netflix.