Polar

This isn't high art, it's certainly not Oscar bait or even trying to be tongue in cheek...this is a blatantly bloody and violent thrill ride with little exposition and a single purpose: gratuitous violence with no deeper meaning.

If you watch this for any other reason, be prepared for copious disappointment. No nuance or subtlety, just a murder ballet for the masses.

I predict that as is the current trend, that the audience will love/like it while the critics lambast it...shows the growing irrelevance of the professional critic as their disconnect with the audience grows.

A good action movie is like a classic meat-and-potatoes meal; standard fare that although might be seasoned differently is both filling and unsurprising. Occasionally a genre-breaking film will surprise everyone and pop open a bottle of Malbec to serve with a little filet mignon. Usually? The plot, situation, even the action itself, is as recycled as a hot dog washed down with a Coors Light. Forgettable. Ordinary. Monotonous. Then there is Polar.

The film is Irish-carbomb crazy; chopped meat that's charbroiled yet still pink-on-the-inside, along with plenty of extra cheese.

The film's plot is insanely generic. Older hitman seeks retirement but his boss won't let him go. In fact, said boss, a maniacal Matt Lucas who was given free reign of Elton John's wardrobe circa 1987, would much rather see Duncan (Mads Mikklesen) dead than pay him his owed bank. A squad of diverse goons head out in hopes of retiring Duncan in cleverly ridiculous ways only to discover - shock - that old Duncan is more wily than initially estimated. Silliness ensues.

The slick camera-work and kinetic editing is an over-the-top, ADD-infused assault. Think Tony Scott helming John Wick. Adapted from a Dark Horse graphic novel and directed by Jonas Åkerlund, Polar looks like a full-length Rammstein music video, albeit scored by Deadmau5, and comes complete with Instagram-worthy title cards.

The film is soaked with annoying characters, absurd situations (Richard Dreyfuss on karaoke, anyone?), and a devilish weapon-fetish. Duncan, however, hi-jacks the film with his heart of plated gold, a desire for a pet, and the smooth handling of an axe.

Every plot point was slashed to bits with a dull sword. Betrayals were telegraphed as subtlety as a missile strike. And the ending was as secure as an A-Team mission. Through all that, Polar is deep-fried fun that makes an otherwise-forgettable Tuesday night slightly more memorable.

If only there were an explanation of the film's title...

Polar is a graphic novel adaptation that provides a little bit of everything. Action set pieces, gun fights, graphic torture, sex, over the top characters, interesting casting and some hilarious moments.

Mads Mikkelsen stars and excels in a highly entertaining action movie centering around an aging hitman in the final weeks before retirement. If he reaches retirement age he is due a pension payment of 8 million dollars and his employer is adamant that will not happen.

The obvious comparison of this movie is John Wick, but Polar has a very different style and over the course of three movie theres a lot more depth to the Wick movies in terms of the world they live in. I find the best way to compare this movie is a combination of a Liam Neeson action movie (the protagonist and core story), Guy Ritchie's gansgter movies (direction and editing style) and your typical superhero movie (for the lacklustre minions and over the top super villain).

The most questionable element of the movie is the casting of comedy actor Matt Lucas in the villain role. In my opinion he provides an entertaining and over the top performance to the character., which sits well with the overall movie, that being said it does feel fairly cartooney but it does work. I can imagine a different casting, would have provided a fairly drastic tonal shift of the whole film which may not have been an improvement.

Ultimately Polar is a highly enjoyable movie that looks and and sounds great with action of all kinds.

Novice (mainly music videos and short film - only a handful of full length feature films) director Jonas Åkerlund, and novice screenwriter Jayson Rothwell, did an outstanding job creating a crazy action noir film adaptation from the graphic novel by Víctor Santos.

The directing was outstanding - props to Jonas Åkerlund for nailing this one. The great cinematography and use of high-contract colors really added to the film, as did his camera work. The screenplay's use of character introductions - although done many times before, worked really well, and combined with the writing and directing, gave this film a Quentin Tarantino feel.

At first I felt the characters were way too animated and overshadowed Mads Mikkelsen's monotonic and bland character, and thus was disappointed in this film. But as the story progressed, I felt this wasn't your typical 'assassin retires' movie. The story developed slowly, and I do feel the 118 min length was a little long, but the pace kept up well, help keep me interested and intrigued, and eventually found myself to start liking it.

The actors where cast perfectly and performed really well . The soundtrack by Deadmau5 was perfect for this film.

I wanted to hate this B-grade film, but ended up loving it! This is one of those films that stay with you long after you've seen it, and I feel in time will become a cult classic. I do hope for a part 2 - and judging by some unexpected and surprisingly well placed surprises, I'm guessing that will happen.

The critics got this one wrong. Yes, it may not be for everyone, but going in not expecting much, I became a fan. A well deserved 8/10 from me. And if anyone thinks this is a fake review, click my username and you will see my 300+ reviews. :)

Quite a poor critical reception, but having just watched it myself I can't help that many of the reviews have missed the point of this violent slice of entertainment. While for the most part what they say IS true (clunky dialogue, silly, poorly paced), they could also add slick, humourous and stylish to that list. The corridor scene - a highlight in the trailer misses the mark and would have benefitted with better choreography but was enjoyable all the same. The Female characters, empowered one minute, gratuitously undressed the next, don't make sense other than to advance the plot and pleasure the men. It did feel a lot like the graphic novel in parts though and contrary to what I've read elsewhere Mads Mikkelsen's understated, world weary portrayal is brilliant, even if Hudgens is underused (as are are most of the supporting cast). Style over substance? Maybe. But as a ultra violent comic book popcorn flick I think it works pretty well, and whether it happens or not I'd love to see the sequel it sets up in the closing scenes. I'd say watch it yourself and form your own opinion.