 | MOVIE DETAILS • Name: Polar • Year: 2019 • Country: USA, Germany • Director: Jonas Åkerlund • Main cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Vanessa Hudgens, Katheryn Winnick • Runtime: 118 minutes • Production company: Constantin Film, Dark Horse Entertainment, Netflix • TRAILER
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On paper, Polar (2019) was one of the most exciting movies to come out this year 2019 that just started. The Víctor Santos graphic novel the movie is based on is an astonishing piece of visual violence and beauty. Mads Mikkelsen, who also is executive producer of the film, is set to play the main merciless hitman superstar. And Jonas Åkerlund, a prodigy in spectacular music videos and very good movies storyteller is directing. What could go wrong? Well, I can tell you now: NOTHING.
Polar (2019) is as fancy as dirty, as noir as commercial, as romantic as aggressive. It is very similar to John Wick (2014), another recent movie about a hitman out of the system. Only here Jonas Åkerlund has his very personal style embodied from the beginning until the end. The plot story is as promising as unoriginal, a retiring hitman is chased by a horde of new-generation assassins greedy to make their big step into the business. Many of the things happening in the movie might not be so innovative or fresh, but the hand of the Swedish filmmaker is too strong. His visual talent, together with the spectacular cinematography of his recurrent ally Pär M. Ekberg and the frantic editing of Doobie White made this movie being able to stand on its own.
I must admit I only have good words for Polar (2019). For me, its only concern is the lack of a strong original story. But, for what it is, we have in front an entertaining movie, with a few surprises and stunts not seen so often. For almost 2 hours one can feel like watching a Lady Gaga music video in the form of a classic action thriller. Starred by an always epic Mads Mikkelsen, as couldn’t be different, and supported by a bunch of characters always with the feeling of being a parody of the current times. With a special mention to the evil lord of the story, merely called Blut and performed in all sorts of excesses by British comedian Matt Lucas. Perhaps the recipe is not the best but the ingredients and cooking tools are sublime.
Polar (2019), or how Jonas Åkerlund has done everything he wanted. Netflix made a very good bet this time. Go for it, you won’t regret it.
RATE: 7,5/10
IMDB URL: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4139588
