Polar is a tonal mess flailing for a genre. Mads Mikkelsen and the Director Jonas Akerlund are both battling hard against an atrocious script. The most egregious crime this film commits is being a bad film unable to except that it is bad . Not every piece of film requires to be Oscar level quality. Being fun can be enough to entertain and create a enjoyable viewing experience. Unfortunately Polar present us with a dull and methodical story, that remains outlandish, but is expected to be treated with the upmost sternness and sincerity.

Polar revolves around Duncan Vizla aka The Black Kaiser, strongly performed by Mads Mikkelsen. Duncan is preparing to settle into retirement from being one of the most highly regarded and feared hit-men. His former agency needs money, and so instead of paying the pensions of retiring hit-men such as Duncan, they opt to kill them off, using the services of other assassins.





The assassins appear out of place, in what is being presented as a dark and gritty world. However the gang of assassins are goofy and nowhere near as funny as the script thinks.

That is a problem that becomes increasingly frustrating. Because the film just isn't funny. The comedy is mistimed, misplaced, absurd and crude. Yet it persists.





Chemistry between the cast is practically non-existent. Mads works well with both Katheryn Winnick (Vivian) and Vanessa Hudgens (Camille) aside from that it makes for stale viewing.





Polar feels very confused in what it wants to be. You're never quite sure if your watching a comedy, that isn't funny. An action flick, lacking action. Or a thriller, without the thrills.

When it does the action, it does it well. It may be far fetched but it's good to watch. Unfortunately there are only 2-3 action scenes in the film. Instead we get bogged down in the hunt for Duncan (the sequence when he is found is the films greatest high), which takes up a large chunk of the film, and is the reason it starts to drag around the mid way-point.





While Mads is good, he is portraying a very serious character. This makes the film unnecessarily drab. A couple of engaging and light characters would've helped to stop us getting bogged down in this dark hopeless pit we find ourselves. That is presumably what was intended for the band of assassins. But they are to far down the other end of the spectrum. No balance is ever found and nothing quite fits how it should.





I may appear to beating down on Polar but that's out of disappointment. If it had simply decided to be a fun action flick it would've worked out fine, but it decided to go dark and mysterious, while somehow managing to be outrageously goofy. But never funny. Everything chunders on without energy or life.





While watching you cannot help but feel Matt Lucas has been woefully miscast. I'm a big fan of Matt Lucas, and i rate him as an actor, but it just doesn't work. There's no doubt in my mind that Lucas is doing what is asked of him. But the wild, camp, psycho gangster vibe is too big of a contrast from Mikkelsen's dark, sinister hitman. Combined with the hitmen hunters and you find yourself with the most confusing of tones.





It attempts to be gory, crude and funny but fails to find a balance.

Ultimately Polar strives to be better than the material allows it.



