I dig Mads Mikkelsen. Think the world of him in "Casino Royale", "The Salvation"; "Doctor Strange", "Rogue One", "The Hunt"; "Hannibal" (the series, that is)--you name it. The man is versatile, distinguished, humble and when it comes to getting down and dirty, frickin unparalleled.
I suppose that makes him the ideal fit for Netflix's explosive, action submission, "Polar", based on the Dark Horse graphic epic by Victor Santos and Jim Gibbons.
For the movie adaptation, Jason Rothwell supplies the script, with Jonas Akerlund as its frame-whipping director. What bursts forth is as dark as noir can be, with a gutsy, irreverent ambiance to rival Frank Miller's "Sin City", Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner's "Red" and various Guy Ritchie flicks.
Duncan Vizla, "the Black Kaiser", is the story's cool anti-protagonist: an assassin of expected, pinnacle lethal skill, but behind his rough exterior, a nice, stoic guy...more or less. Mikkelsen covers the conflicting extremes with deft command, sporting an eye patch that gives him a touch of Nick Fury, Snake Plissken and Captain Harlock, matched by the virtuous prowess of John Wick.
To boot, Vizla is a fifty-year-old bloke, who's paid his assassin dues, at least per his agency views, though now forced into "retirement": sorta like the Carousel deal in "Logan's Run", though not quite as symbolic. On Vizla's heels are spry recruits, but our suave veteran isn't afraid to beat 'em to the punch in what becomes a wild, laser-fanning, bullet-zinging, dog-eat-dog free-for-all. In other words, as much as they polarize him, he out-polarizes them, with a focused cunning that'll make one's head spin.
Prompting Vizla's trouble is the mad, Sting-haired Mr. Blut, played by Matt "Doctor Who" Lucas. When he's not around to stir the pot, there's assassin-group leader Robert "Monster Brawl" Malliet's Karl to instill the chill for all you WWE fans. Let's face it: Any hero is only as good as his adversaries, and these sonsaguns (and really, the film's henchman collective is pretty damn daunting) define Vizla to the maddening tee and would hold their own with any DC, Marvel or James Bond baddie. To rephrase: They're easy to hate, and because of it, appreciate.
To heighten the film's glitz, gorgeous gals populate, with Vanessa "Powerless" Hudgens as Camille (striking even when we're suppose to believe she's unassuming); Kathryn "Vikings" Winnick as crafty liaison Vivian (a sassy femme fatale if ever there was one, so much so that she shoulda earned a bigger part); Ruby O. Fee as Sindy; Inga Cadranel as Regina; Fei Ren as Hilde; and Anatasia Marinina as Evalina (among bewitching others), each capping the overflow of violence with cunning sweetness and (to irritate those feminists who should so choose to watch), the shameless need to tease and please their men.
I had a great time with one...would have loved to have seen it on the big screen. Still, I gotta give credit where it's due. Netflix was on the ball this time, and perhaps to capitalize on the film's inevitable fanfare, we'll get a sequel based on one of Santos' many other Black Kaiser stories. If that's not to be, then at least some other rough-edged entertainment for Mikkelsen to lead. (I suppose, the upcoming "Arctic" will fill that bill, but for the here and now, it's not a "Netflix Presents...".)
Anyway, fingers crossed that the pay-to-view-it execs don't go down the sappy Gillette road. We damn well need more movies with balls firmly attached.
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