Premiering in high-definition for the first time is one of producer Lew Grade’s many box-office wipeouts from the late ‘70s and early ‘80s – GREEN ICE (109 mins., 1981) – an appealing enough caper-thriller that, to the best of my knowledge, never received a theatrical run in the U.S. That’s probably understandable following the lack of commercial returns for Grade’s infamous one-two punch of ITC flops “Raise the Titanic” and “Legend of the Lone Ranger,” though “Green Ice” – while also a movie that ran into production difficulty – is a superior film all around with some solid elements going for it.
Ryan O’Neal stars as a New York electronics engineer who stumbles into the mining of green emeralds in South America – an industry presided over by Omar Sharif’s mogul, who regulates their use to the extreme that local goons will murder anyone stealing from the hills where they’re found. Among the dead is the sister of wealthy Ann Archer, who strikes an immediate chemistry with O’Neal at the same time she’s engaged to be married to Sharif, though it’s not really love that he’s after. Eventually, O’Neal and Archer form an alliance and a plan for revenge: depleting Sharif’s stash of “green ice” not from the military-patrolled Colombian hills but rather stealing from his high-tech vault in downtown Bogota.
“Green Ice” has its shortcomings but this is a breezy and very entertaining film with a distinguished pedigree across much of its behind-the-scenes crew. From Gil Taylor’s Mexico-based lensing to Maurice Binder’s Bond-ian credits, “Green Ice” exudes class, and was clearly intended to provide an appropriately 007-like mood via the hiring of series vet Ernest Day. Alas, Day was only supposed to helm the 2nd unit on “Green Ice” – as he had for “The Spy Who Loved Me” and “Moonraker” among countless films before – at least until Day was tagged to replace original director Anthony Simmons, who was dismissed by producer Jack Weiner early in the shoot (Simmons is still listed as one of four screenwriters credited with adapting the book by “11 Harrowhouse” author Gerald Browne).
The result is a patchy movie with some odd comings and goings – including a brief blast of comic relief provided by John Larroquette as a Texas-accented cowboy who O’Neal tabs to help with the raid – yet a satisfying mix of adventure and romance still permeates through the film. O’Neal is perfectly acceptable in one of his later leading man roles, and Archer, who was hired right off “Raise the Titanic,” is lovely and works well paired with him. Sharif does the best he can with a mostly one-dimensional role, but it’s the stunts, location shooting and overall atmosphere that makes “Green Ice” an enjoyable, early ‘80s ride, one that has been mostly out of the public eye since it debuted on HBO in the U.S. years back.
“Green Ice” here makes its Blu-Ray debut in one of Imprint’s most satisfying transfers for a catalog release: this 2024 scan of the original negative (1.78) offers lots of detail and grain. The source has its share of speckles and even a bit of print damage (line running down the frame) in the concluding reel, but it holds up for the most part, and the lack of DNR employed is most welcome.
On the audio end, the original Dolby Stereo track features a wide dynamic range in its 2.0 PCM stereo mix, the film sporting a rare movie score from Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman. It’s definitely “of the era” and there are two terrible vocals provided for Wyman’s songs by Maria Muldaur – thankfully the action scoring is robust and one has to thank Ken Thorne for that, as the veteran composer is credited with orchestrating and conducting the score.
The movie is included in a 109-minute cut that’s apparently what was prepped for a U.S. theatrical release that never happened (the movie instead landed on cable and on VHS via CBS/Fox imprint Key Video). The original “ITC cut” runs 116 minutes and is also included here in a standard-definition 1.78 transfer; note the additional scenes mostly involve Archer and O’Neal’s relationship and are confined to the movie’s first half. While it’s nice to have this edit available, the added scenes slow the film down and aren’t especially necessary.
Music-and-effects audio tracks and textless Maurice Binder opening and closing credit reels are also included along with a commentary by David J. Moore on the extended version. There’s also a nice interview with the great stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong, who discusses the film, touching briefly upon both Simmons’ firing as well as ITC’s original plan of hiring an ailing Steve McQueen for the lead. Recommended!
