Polar

(spoiler free)

An older, yet formidable hitman who suddenly finds himself the target of his fellow assassins, no it’s not ‘John Wick: Chapter 3’ but new Netflix film ‘Polar’. Based on the webcomic and graphic novels by Victor Santos, this film adaptation sees Mads Mikkelsen star as Duncan Vizla better known as the “Black Kaiser”, a highly successful hitman only days away from his retirement, but when does that ever go as planned?

Brought to the screen by Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund, he attempts to give the film a style inspired by its comic book beginnings. Using editing and visual techniques not dissimilar to those seen in David Ayer’s ‘Suicide Squad’ it just feels like it’s trying too hard to be cool or edgy. A combination of this and a poorly featured soundtrack make it feel unoriginal even before the audience can give the narrative a chance. In addition to this the gratuitous violence, nudity and sex quickly become tiresome giving the film a real grimy quality which isn’t so enjoyable to witness. As a result the narrative isn’t as gripping as it could have been. There are a few sequences of well executed action, in which the violence feels appropriate, that show the potential of this story as a feature film but the reliance and focus on the aforementioned more explicit content detracts from the calibre of the storytelling.

Despite this there is one overwhelming positive for the film and that’s its lead star. Mikkelsen is fantastic casting, fitting the bill of this character pretty perfectly. He’s believable from the get go and delivers a convincing performance throughout. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for the casting of his adversary Mr. Blut, played here by British comedian and actor Matt Lucas. Whilst there’s no denying he’s a very talented actor Lucas performs here simply like an extension of one of his sketch show characters poles apart from the tone of Mikkelsen’s portrayal and it’s jarring to say the least. Katheryn Winnick’s Vivian would have served much better as the main villain of the film but she’s shamefully wasted here restricted to phone calls between her and Duncan rarely seeing any of the action. Vanessa Hudgens is the other most notable casting here, she’s fine in the role but the writing of her character and inclusion in the screenplay feels too obvious and underdeveloped to be effective.

So whilst this ultra violent comic book thriller has a good premise, previously shown to work in this genre and an excellent leading man in Mikkelsen ‘Polar’ is likely to leave audiences feeling cold and disconnected. Its tired visual approach and focus on more explicit material rather than its story is outdated and unlikely to captivate viewers. Furthermore, its mixture of tones caused by the odd range of performances fails to contribute anything positive to the film, only providing comedy that falls flat and a less than compelling story which quickly goes south.

Written by Hamish Calvert

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Rating – 4/10

Question: What is your favourite Mads Mikkelsen film performance?
(Leave your answers in the comments section below!)

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