The Iceman

A man insults Kuklinski's girlfriend during a game of pool, and he decides to take matters into his own hands. He follows the man to his car and murders him by slashing his throat. This act marks his capacity for cold, impulsive violence linked to his personal life.

As a boy, Kuklinski and his younger brother endure brutal beatings from their immigrant Polish father. The abuse helps form their emotionally disturbed, sadistic tendencies that surface later in life. The trauma remains a driving force behind his later violence.

Kuklinski's brother ends up serving a life sentence in prison for raping and murdering a 12-year-old girl. The siblings' violent environment is shown as shaping their paths. The brother's fate underscores the criminal world they inhabit.

He dubs pornographic films, but tells his wife he dubs cartoons. The cover job demonstrates how he compartmentalizes his life and hides his illegal income. It also foreshadows his ability to manipulate appearances.

Roy DeMeo, a powerful New York gangster, tests Kuklinski by forcing him to kill a homeless man. If he passes, DeMeo offers him a place as an enforcer and contract killer. The test marks Kuklinski's entry into the mob's violent underworld.

Kuklinski begins working as an enforcer for DeMeo, taking on killings for hire. He cultivates a reputation for reliability and ruthless efficiency. This work funds his growing criminal capabilities.

In 1975, he moves his family into a comfortable suburban home and continues to hide his true occupation. He tells people he works at a currency trading company to maintain the facade. The contrast between his family life and underground violence deepens.

He is ordered to kill a man who betrayed DeMeo, but finds a teenage girl hidden in the closet. Freezy almost kills her before Kuklinski intervenes. DeMeo responds by decommissioning him, threatening his family if they cross paths again.

Leo Merks, DeMeo's boss, hires Freezy to kill one of DeMeo's associates. Kuklinski poisons the target with cyanide to handle the job himself. DeMeo discovers Kuklinski's independent hits and threatens the family.

Kuklinski goes to Leo Merks to collect the bounty money, but Merks refuses to pay, angry that the job wasn't untraceable. In a confrontation, Kuklinski shoots Merks dead. This act deepens his entanglement with the mob's deadly code.

Shortly after, Kuklinski's daughter is hospitalized following a hit-and-run by DeMeo. This tragedy pushes him and Freezy to flee to avoid retribution. The mob's reach now directly endangers his family.

Freezy pressures Kuklinski to kill each other's families to prevent talking to the police. The men proceed with mutual paranoia, heightening the danger to everyone connected to them. The plan reaches a breaking point when Freezy reveals he knows Kuklinski's address.

When Freezy reveals the address and implies betrayal, Kuklinski shoots him to prevent testimony. The two dangerous partners implode as trust collapses. This ends their uneasy alliance.

Following an undercover sting operation, Kuklinski is arrested in 1986. He admits to having committed over 100 murders across a 22-year career. He receives two life terms in prison and is separated from his wife and daughters.

In 2006, Kuklinski dies in a prison hospital from a rare inflammatory disease. Closing intertitles note that foul play was suspected because he was scheduled to testify in a Gambino underboss's trial. He leaves behind a legacy of violence and regret about harming his family.