Green Ice (1981)

Director:

Ernest Day

Writers:

Edward Anhalt (writer)
Gerald A. Browne (novel)

Release Date:

1981 (UK)

Genre:

Adventure | Romance

Tagline:

He wanted adventure...She craved revenge...Emeralds held the answer.

Plot Keywords:

Vengeance | Chase | Coffee | Cartel | Prospecting

Cast

Ryan O'Neal	...	Joseph Wiley
Anne Archer	...	Holbrook
Omar Sharif	...	Meno Argenti
Domingo Ambriz	...	Miguel
John Larroquette	...	Claude
Philip Stone	...	Jochim Kellerman
Michael Sheard	...	Jaap
Enrique Lucero	...	Lucho the Coffee Grower
Manuel Ojeda	...	Lt. Costas
Tara Fellner	...	Kerry, Holbrook's Sister
Sandra Kerns	...	Woman at Bar
Raúl Martínez	...	General Martinez
Enrique Novi	...	Naval Officer
Miguel Ángel Fuentes	...	Herado, Argenti's Bodyguard
Delroy White	...	Prentis

Runtime:

116 min | Germany:98 min | USA:110 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-15 (uncut) (2002) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1981) | Australia:M | USA:PG | West Germany:16 | UK:AA (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Mexico

Company:

Incorporated Television Company (ITC)

Trivia:

Ryan O'Neal was sixth choice

Soundtrack:

The Water Bottle

Much Stale Business Seen Here.

A poorly developed action adventure film shot largely in Mexico, this affair begins in promising fashion, but after its first of several changes in direction occurs within the plot line, little remains that will interest a viewer. A group of international students (in reality organized supporters of anti-government rebels) is massacred in Colombia by Federales as action opens, while during alternating scenes Joe Wiley (Ryan O'Neal), an American electronics engineer, visiting Mexico to recover from a divorce, meets an affluent socialite, Lillian Holbrook (Anne Archer). When the two become romantically involved, a complicated situation forms since Lillian is being wooed by Meno Argenti (Omar Sharif), a powerful plutocrat who controls the emerald trade for the rotten Mexican government, thus leading to shared distaste between the two men. When Lillian travels to Colombia in quest of her missing younger sister, Joe goes with her, an act not endorsed by Meno who wishes to wed her for personal reasons other than love, and a climactic conflict between the rivals can result only in violence. The screenplay is a hotchpotch with a thread of intended light-hearted romance woven among such disparate themes as murder, torture and sadism, along with grotesquely silly stunts that Joe and his cohorts perform in attempts to foil the evil Argenti. The piece is heavily cut for distribution, and editing is very choppy, increasing the episodic nature of a script that consistently meanders, scenes honouring logic being very rare indeed. The players are somewhat hindered by their cliché laden lines, O'Neal being even more encumbered by a large assortment of electronic and other specialized equipment that is magically available for use in situations requiring derring-do. Camera-work under supervision from cinematographer Gilbert Taylor is strikingly effective and creative but general mistreatment of basic rules of continuity sinks this effort despite its pretty scenic effects.