Polar (2019)

January 23, 2024 1:33 AM

When a retiring assassin realizes that he is the target of a hit, he winds up back in the game going head to head with a gang of younger, ruthless killers.

Based on the graphic novel "Polar: Came from the Cold"

posted by rhizome (7 comments total)

I only watched this for Mads Mikkelsen, but it was a good use of time with the moody painful violence.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 3:48 AM on January 23

this looks formulaic, with just enough little flourishes to make it worth watching. then, of course, there's Mads and that makes it well worth watching.
posted by elkevelvet at 8:07 AM on January 23

I liked this a lot, except for the torture scene near the end, a little much for me. But I loved the whole sniper/cabin scene.

I'll tell you what, though. I'm pretty sure most contestants on Great British Bake Off didn't see this, cuz otherwise they'd have been way more deferential to Matt Lucas.
posted by Gorgik at 11:18 AM on January 23

I haven’t seen this, but I have often thought it a puzzling decision to release a Mads Mikkelsen drama called Polar like four months after the release of a Mads Mikkelsen drama called Arctic. Few things are more likely to cause people on streaming services to squint at the thumbnail and think, “Wait, did I see this or no? I think I did but… hmmm.”
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:47 PM on January 23 [2 favorites]

I popped it on for Mads as well and was totally surprised, blindsided. Templated "I'm getting to old for this shit" it may be, but the costumery, Super Ultra Color HDR, fast-cut interstitial montages with all kinds of fucked up imagery seeming very comic book-y, and Matt Lucas. And Richard Dreyfuss phoning in a karaoke cameo to boot, what a sport! For me, after a certain level of stylization I'm fine to stick it out just to witness the achievement, though this one was entertaining as well.

Vanessa Hudgens, what a play against type. Interesting character! I'm here for the "second chapter" actors, Alicia Silverstone is in there too.

There will be another Black Kaiser movie, which is nice.
posted by rhizome at 1:36 AM on January 24

I read the original webcomic which is frankly much better. I found the movie to be a shallow riff on the "one last job before retirement" genre, heavily influenced by John Wick. It reminded me a lot of the Tarantino rip-offs that followed the success of "Pulp Fiction": sleazier and dumber, serving only to remind you of the better original.
posted by riotnrrd at 12:18 PM on January 24

Well this was an assault on the senses. Mikkelsen's character seemed like he was from a completely different move than the group of ridiculous theater kids sent to assassinate him.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 10:32 AM on January 25 [1 favorite]