This is unique take on mystery movies with a gay lead actor and his husband these are one of the best movies I've seen in a long time more gay movies should be like this.
Ice Blues
2008
Crime / Drama / Mystery / Thriller
Ice Blues
2008
Crime / Drama / Mystery / Thriller
Plot summary
Tim Callahan, aide to New York Senator Lauren Platt, is disappointed that all of the $3 million funding has been pulled from his latest pet project, a safe zone for children and youth. His personal partner, private investigator Donald Strachey, believes Tim's passion for the project stems from the fact of his own sister's troubled youth, she who has been missing since age seventeen. Tim believes his prayers have been answered when a man, identifying himself as a lawyer, tells him that he represents someone who wants to make a $3 million anonymous donation to the project. Those prayers turn into a nightmare when that lawyer is later found murdered, the dead body in Donald's car. The murdered man is Jake Lenigan, a third generation lawyer in a powerful family law firm. Jake's father was murdered twelve years earlier, the perceived suspect in that case being his wife Joan, who has since disappeared. Tim and Donald's situation becomes even more nightmarish when Tim anonymously receives that $3 million in untraceable Euro bonds. The murderer will do whatever is necessary to get that money back from Tim and Donald, the latter who is working with the police to find Lenigan's purpose in wanting to donate the money to Tim's cause, find if Jake's father's murder has anything to do with this case, discover the owner of the money and thus the probable murderer, and most importantly protect himself and his boyfriend from being possible murder victims.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
What made gay mystery movie
Lots of topics but little depth...
Chad Allen brings a little charm to this, certainly the best of the pretty mediocre four film adaptations of the "Donald Strachey" PI investigations. This one sees him investigate when boyfriend "Tim" (Sebastian Spence) finds himself embroiled in a mystery surrounding a large bequest for his "safe zone" which all goes a bit south when a murder occurs. The original story covers a surprisingly varied series of topics - in a largely superficial fashion - including loyalty, obsession and child welfare issues, which this effort makes a decent fist of, as it rumbles along but there is precisely zero chemistry between the two stars and the ending is a bit lacklustre. It's just about worth a watch, but only just....
Noir Ambitions
The Donald Strachey films get better and better. In ICE BLUES - the fourth in the series - the performers have really relaxed into their roles and the film noir storytelling is top-drawer. The tribute to the genre mixed with the modern twist (a detective who just happens to be gay and happily partnered) seems effortless here - whereas in other hands I couldn't imagine the premise working. The lighting makes the most daring and successful contribution with lots of shadows and film noir angles giving the film its classy but raw 1940's feel. Chad Allen is steadfast as usual as Strachey. If never surprising in his portrayal, he anchors the film smartly. As usual, there's some stellar support - this time in the person of Sherry Miller (who played the supportive Mom on TV's "Queer as Folk"). Her quiet intensity is always worth watching. Like most detective yarns, the film starts to twist a few times too many in the third reel, but keep with it and it resolves in a satisfying - and maybe even surprising - way.