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| Available at Amazon.com |
It’s one thing to take a job that might put you in danger, one out of every hundred days or so. Sure there’s always a chance of trouble or problems in any profession you may choose, but that’s just the breaks. With every choice you make in life you take the prizes and the consequences that come with it. But to purposely take an occupation where you know for certain that your life could be in peril every single day is…well, it’s insane. There’s no job in the world that would make me want to take my life in my own hands and put myself at the mercy of a vehicle. At the mercy of the elements. At the mercy of…a thin patch of ice gliding slowly beneath my tires.
Ice Road Truckers is a reality series that takes viewers and puts them in the passenger seat of big rig trucks as drivers such as Rick, Alex, and Jay make deliveries through the snowy terrains of Canada. They work together to keep diamond mines a thing of the present and the future, and there is nothing keeping them from certain death except for the ice they ride upon. It is insane to think without doubt that the two feet of ice can’t crack or melt or cause them to slip and slide right into the trees or mountainsides. But through the cold and the fear and the long nights, six brave truckers risk their lives in order to do the job they were born to do.
On And Off The Ice takes the series to another level and brings back Hugh, Rick, TJ, Alex, Jay, and Drew after they have driven through and survived one of the world’s most dangerous professions. We were able to sit in with them as they did the work and through the narration of Thom Beers, were told every single aspect of it. Now the truckers sit down and discuss all the questions that remained unanswered. They share stories of good times and bad. They talk about what it’s like being alone all the time and just trying to keep their eyes open. Each of them open up and let us know what exactly they were thinking when it was unknown whether the ice would hold or not.
Like many other series on the air today (Deadliest Catch, Ax Men), we are taken inside the lives of professions that most of us will never take part in. We are able to see the danger, the good and bad times, the stress, and the benefits that come with something a lot of us just were never made to do. This DVD puts together three specials taking us even closer to the truckers and their lives in the cabs. “The Ice Road: Then And Now” shows us clips from the season and then catches us up to date with how the truckers are now. “Off The Ice” is split into two parts and shows us the men in their lives while they are not behind the wheel. It was nice being with them on the job, but it feels like I’m even closer to them now knowing even more about them.
The film is shown in 1.33:1 Full Screen format and it looks just as good as it did during the season. Everything looks great and there were no problems in the transfer to DVD. And maybe it’s good production work or just awesome camera work, but some of the visuals are simply breathtaking so pay close attention to everything.
The film is heard in Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound and also comes through with no problems. Every bit of dialogue can be heard loud and clear along with the brakes pumping and the ice cracking.
Trucker Biographies – These are very short text biographies on each trucker.
You just can’t help but love this series. It shows a job that almost all of us will never be a part of and brings it home. That is why I love Deadliest Catch so much. It’s because I have a lot of respect for the men and women who are out there doing jobs like this that I know just aren’t me. Some of the terrains these guys take their trucks on and some of the stories they spin of their drives are just jaw-dropping. You couldn’t pay me enough to take a God-knows-how-much-weighing big rig onto some ice just to make a delivery. You’ll be lucky if I can back up a damn U-Haul out of the driveway without hitting something. The special features aren’t really a whole lot, but it’s the main feature that you’re getting this DVD for. The score doesn’t necessarily reflect how good it is or the value of it ($9.99 in most places) because the score is focusing on how it is as a DVD as a whole. It’s rather short and has no extras, but well worth the price. And while you’re at it, pick up Ice Road Truckers: The Complete First Season to get the full effect. Move it out.
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A&E Home Video presents Ice Road Truckers: On & Off The Ice. Created by: Thom Beers. Starring: Thom Beers (Narrator). Running time: 141 minutes. Rating: Not Rated. Released on DVD: June 24, 2008. Available at Amazon.com
About Danny Cox
