If there's one thing all audiences have a right to demand from a film with "Ice Road" in its title, it's ice roads. That's probably why "The Ice Road" was so successful it warranted a sequel. Jonathan Hensleigh's 2021 film featured Liam Neeson in one of his impressive late-career action performances, as a hardened truck driver who agrees to cross a frozen lake to rescue a group of miners from a collapsing mine. But Hensleigh's new sequel, "Ice Road: Vengeance," doesn't quite live up to the brand image.
Except for a brief drive along a mountainside, "Ice Road: Vengeance" doesn't contain enough ice roads to satisfy those who've been craving more slippery chase scenes since 2021. The film offers more than enough revenge, so there's no reason to claim false advertising. But the sequel's divergence from what made its predecessor famous is so stark that it begs the question of why the two needed to be connected at all. "Revenge" is basically an overlong, standalone Neeson actioner that barely rises to the level of perfection. It probably has an audience, but anyone hoping for a bigger and better version of the first film should drown their sorrows by watching old seasons of "Ice Road Truckers."
Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Writer: Jonathan Hensleigh
Stars: Liam Neeson, Bingbing Fan, Michala Banas
Like "The Ice Road" before it, the emotional core of this film lies in the relationship between Mike McCann (Neeson) and his Army veteran brother, Gurty (Marcus Thomas). While much of the first film revolved around Mike trying to protect Gurty, afflicted with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), from a world determined to be cruel to him, the sequel picks up where Mike is at trying to find meaning in life after his brother's death. Gurty didn't live long enough to achieve his lifelong dream of climbing Mount Everest, but he made Mike promise to scatter his ashes at the summit to ensure he could get there after he died. A loyal brother to the end, Mike buys a one-way ticket to Nepal and reluctantly agrees to store his ashes in a TSA-approved container.
Upon arriving in Kathmandu, Mike meets Dhani Yangchen (Fan Bingbing), a local guide with whom he bonds instantly. But as they take a tour bus to the base of Everest on the infamous "Road to Heaven," the bus is attacked by mercenaries. Because Liam Neeson apparently made a pact with Satan to ensure none of his movie alter egos ever know a moment of peace, Mike finds himself at the center of a battle between a Nepalese village and corrupt politicians and real estate developers, determined to destroy their ecosystem by building a new hydroelectric dam. At first, Mike is forced to drive the bus and fend off bad guys to protect their safety, but his connection with the locals grows until he finds something bigger than himself to fight for.
In and of itself, "Ice Road: Vengeance" isn't a terrible film. Neeson's reflections on finding ways to overcome grief without putting one's entire life on hold offer greater emotional depth than you're likely to find in any direct-to-VOD action movie with "Vengeance" in the title. The character of Bingbing serves a similar function to Tantoo, played by Amber Midthunder, from the first film, and the Chinese star enriches the film with a solid mix of compassion and brutal combat skills. The film is overlong without offering enough spectacle to justify watching Neeson waste another disastrous action role, but he's certainly been in worse.
The most baffling thing about "Ice Road: Vengeance" is that it's billed as a sequel to "The Ice Road" to begin with. The only real connection between the films is Mike's continued grief, but it's hard to deny that there was more to the "Liam Neeson plays a grizzled old man with a heart of gold beneath a gruff exterior" archetype, something we didn't see in any of the actor's other films over the past four years.
The film's existence seems to hinge on the bet that someone was dying to see a few more minutes of Gurty's flashbacks. If that's you, you're in for a great weekend at the movies.
"Ice Road: Vengeance," a Vertical release, opens in theaters on Friday, July 27 and on VOD on July 1.
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