The race to save a group of trapped miners from a cave-in in The Ice Road was made complicated by the scheming of corrupt businessmen, particularly in the ending. A movie that started out like a disaster film quickly evolved into a fast-paced action thriller, complete with car chases and shoot-outs with ruthless gunmen.
The Ice Road is the latest Liam Neeson vehicle set in the action genre. For the past several years, the actor has been headlining movies where he plays a highly-skilled hero who has to save the day by getting into gun fights with gangsters, spies, and terrorists. Despite being in his 60s, Neeson has emerged as a popular action hero, thanks in large part to his roles in the three Taken movies. Among the movies he’s made in recent years that have built off his success in the genre are The Commuter, Cold Pursuit, Honest Thief, The Marskman, and now, The Ice Road, where he plays Mike Barnes. In The Ice Road, Neeson’s character is Mike Barnes, a truck driver who takes care of his brother, Gurty (Marcus Thomas), a war veteran with a mental disability.
Shortly after getting fired over an incident involving Gurty, Mike is hired by Jim Goldenrod (Laurence Fishburne) to help rescue miners put in danger by a methane explosion. Together with Goldenrod, Gurty, Tantoo (Amber Midthunder), and Varnay (Benjamin Walker), the small group has to drive three trucks through treacherous, icy terrain in order to save the miners with the wellheads they’re carrying. But as the events of the movie unfolded, Mike found out that the ice road wasn’t their only obstacle. There was also Varnay, who caused Goldenrod’s death and sabotaged their mission. Here’s what went down at the end of the movie, and what the villains of The Ice Road were really trying to accomplish.
The Ice Road’s Villain Plan Explained
Before the mission even started, it was said that Varnay had no stake in the $200,000 reward they were going to receive when they completed the job. Since Varnay couldn’t get the money, it made sense to assume that he’d have no reason to betray the group. However, it was eventually discovered that Varnay was indeed a traitor. A phone conversation that took place later in the movie confirmed that Varnay was taking his orders from Katka executive George Sickle (Matt McCoy). Apparently, Varnay and his team of armed killers were determined to kill Mike, Tantoo, and Gurty because of the implications that saving the miners would have for Sickle and his associates at Katka.
What was said in the scenes at the mine and at the Katka office over the course of the film made it clear that Sickle and some of his colleagues were to blame for the methane explosion. They could have taken safety measures to avoid such a catastrophe, but pressed on with their activities at the mine due to financial concerns. What this means is that Sickle and the others could have faced major consequences if these details were ever made public. Those at the mine figured out what was happening, so the truth was sure to emerge once they were rescued. That’s why Sickle thought it would be better for himself (and the company) if the miners ran out of oxygen and died. This outcome would have allowed their secrets to remain buried.
How Mike Defeats Varnay In The Ice Road
As the evil villain who keeps coming back, Varnay proved to be a recurring threat for Mike, Gurty, and Tantoo throughout the trek across the ice road. When Liam Neeson's character rammed his vehicle off a hillside, they seemed to believe that he was finally out of their hair for good, but it was not so. Varnay managed to survive the crash. Using explosives, Varnay triggered explosives and succeeded in providing yet another hindrance in their journey. This slowed them down, but didn’t stop them, thus forcing Varnay to try a more direct approach. After ramming Mike’s truck, a fight ensued, which ended with Mike driving his truck straight into the ice. He jumped out at the last second, but Varnay didn’t have time to escape. The truck submerged into the ice, taking Varnay with it. Since he was the last of the villains in pursuit of the wellheads, there was nothing else Sickle and his co-conspirators could do to stop the heroes from reaching their destination.
Gurty’s Death Made Rescuing The Miners Possible
Unfortunately, Varney’s death didn’t mean their troubles were over. While Mike was busy dealing with him, Gurty and an injured Tantoo were driving ahead of him when they came across a bridge that wasn’t built to carry the truck’s weight. After reaching the other side, the suspension cables on the bridge broke, which led to its collapse. At just the wrong time, the truck began to slide back, and a fall through the gap appeared imminent. Seeing what was about to happen, Gurtie tried to shut the gate, in the hopes that it would stop the truck from sliding any further backwards. The problem is that Gurtie, in struggling with the gate, stood there longer than he could afford. He ended up being squished between the gate and the truck. His organs must have been damaged by the accident, considering that he died shortly after. Regardless, Gurty’s sacrifice made finishing the mission possible. If it wasn’t for what Gurty did, they never would have been able to deliver the sole-surviving wellhead to the mine.
After rescuers used the wellhead to get the miners (and Tantoo’s brother) to safety, Sickle’s role in everything that had happened was at last exposed, resulting in the character being arrested for his crimes, but not before Mike got in one punch against the person responsible for Gurty’s death. While what happened to Gurty kept The Ice Road from giving Mike a truly happy ending, it did reveal that some good things came for his character in the aftermath of the methane explosion and Sickle’s arrest. The movie’s final scene showed that three months later, both Mike and Tantoo -- who have remained in contact -- have new jobs. In their parting conversation, Tantoo told Mike he could call her if she needs him, which leaves the door open for them to work together in a potential Ice Road 2. As for what comes next for Mike, he's now taking care of his brother’s pet rat, and has found some degree of success as a truck driver transporting sporting goods. The closing seconds revealed the words “Trk Trk Trk” on his license plate, which was a nod to “Truck Truck Truck”, a suggested name for their group that was mentioned in the movie’s first half. The use of the phrase amounted to a fitting tribute to the two heroes who lost their lives in the rescue mission.