Ice Road: Vengeance

At this point, Liam Neeson's situationship with perilous situations has become a tiresome actioner trope. All the characters, except for Neeson's and Bingbing Fan's, are directly imported from the generic action template guidebook. This could've been tagged a Taken movie, and it wouldn't be any different. And for a film titled "Ice Road," there were hardly any icy roads. I forgot almost everything about the first film except for the name, Neeson's character, and the poster.. so I didn't even realize that the protagonist's brother was dead (lol!). Also, I read that most of this was shot in Australia and not Nepal, which makes it matter even less. Can Liam Neeson do less of these and more of In the Land of Saints and Sinners types with better character depth?

I love Liam Neeson, even his rehular predictable fare after Taken 1 and 2. Here he growls his way through another revenge mission, this time set against the stunning backdrop of the Himalayas. But Ice Road Vengeance barely escapes the avalanche of its own clichés.

The plot: a frozen road, some dodgy mining conspiracies, a dead relative (naturally), and a long drive toward payback. It wants to be Taken on Ice, but ends up somewhere between a forgettable TV movie and a rejected episode of Ice Road Truckers: Nepal Edition.

The real letdown? The glaring lack of authenticity. Nepali politicians speaking English in a speech to the local crowd, not a single notable local actor in the main cast, and cultural details that feel as deep as a Lonely Planet summary. It's Hollywood exoticism on autopilot... all scenery, no substance.

That said, the cinematography deserves credit. The icy roads and mountain vistas are easily the film's best performers. But even Neeson's stoic charm can't steer this one out of the ditch.

Verdict: A missed opportunity: half-hearted action, surface-level storytelling, and a setting wasted on stereotypes. Watch only if you're stuck indoors with bad Wi-Fi and no popcorn left.

5/10.

This is the type of stuff that made all the rounds of Cinemax, HBO, Showtime... and the second tier movie theaters back in the 80's. The early to mid 80's really... and I absloutely ate them up. Yes they were terrible... you don't realize just how bad until you try and rewatch them as an adult.

Bad plots, some mediocre acting and dialogue... completely unreal situations. It has it all! And just like back then, I enjoyed it for the most part.

I would never bother to watch it again, it really doesn't have anything that would get me to do that. Back when I was a teen, they just showed the same movies multiple times a week... you watched out of sheer boredom at nothing else being available.

They really pushed the "bad " French woman... all 5'1" of her! She reminded me of "Grumpy Cat" on the internet! I have no problem believing a woman can be dangerous, but not weighing 90 lbs and fighting a 6'4" 220lb guy...even if he is ancient.

This movie is way below average. The acting is pathetic...you just laugh (and not because it's a comedy) at how bad the special effects and fight scenes are. Definitely one of, if not the worst Lian Neeson movie ever and it's a shame to waste 2 hours of your life watching something like this.

I don't understand how actors like Liam Neeson accept such roles, because they alone ruin the image they've built up over their entire life.

Unfortunately, Hollywood has been in decline for the last few years and the quality of films is increasingly execrable.

In conclusion, don't waste your time with this movie, it's simply ridiculous.

An attempt to shoot a B-movie? It makes no sense for Liam Neeson to want to be remembered for such bad films, but if he keeps making them, I guess this is how he'll be remembered! Once again, we're subjected to an extremely weak script and the 'White Savior' trope being shoved in our faces. The same old conflict with greedy power brokers and forced, unconvincing scenes.

Lifeless Action and Flimsy Logic: Illogical character choices, poor pacing, and fight scenes devoid of impact-sometimes unintentionally making the film's tone comedic.

Aging Action Star Syndrome: Neeson clearly wants to prove he's still formidable, but he no longer has the agility needed for believable fight scenes against younger opponents.

Overall, a waste of time! With one exception: the breathtaking visuals of Nepal's countryside... But hey, it's not even shot in Nepal!