Ice Road: Vengeance (2025) - Film Review

      Ice Road: Vengeance, 2025.

      Written and Directed by Jonathan Hensleigh.

      Featuring Liam Neeson, Bingbing Fan, Mahesh Jadu, Bernard Curry, Michala Banas, Geoff Morrell, Kaden Hartcher, Rosie Traynor, Shivantha Wijesinha, Grace O’Sullivan, CJ. Bloomfield, Amelia Bishop, Salim Fayad, Luke Clayson, Monish Anand, Eleanor Barkla, and Shapoor Batliwalla.

      SYNOPSIS:

      Mike journeys to Nepal to scatter his deceased brother’s ashes on Mt. Everest. When he and his mountain guide encounter mercenaries on a tour bus, they must fight to protect themselves, the passengers, and the villagers’ land.

      Liam Neeson's late-career action films often blend together, making it easy to overlook new entries. Therefore, the unexpected reveal of an Ice Road sequel (a term that seems fitting since the film has appeared on the release schedule so suddenly) titled Ice Road: Vengeance compelled this critic to revisit the first film and avoid confusing it with other Neeson films set in icy locations like Cold Pursuit. Upon refreshing my memory, the memorable ice road and some thrilling scenes returned to mind, along with the goofy relationship between brothers Mike McCann (Neeson) and his brother suffering from PTSD.

      As for the sequel? There are no ice roads whatsoever. It should be obvious that if your Ice Road movie lacks ice roads, it may not be worth producing or at the very least, should have a title change. However, even with ice roads, this film would likely still be poor like its predecessor, albeit without a single memorable set piece. Watching this sequel made me realize I may have been too harsh on the first installment compared to this one.

      Mike is still coming to terms with life without his brother (his death in the original film is somewhat vague in my memory) and has decided to spread his ashes over Mount Everest, a destination he had always longed to visit. Concurrently, in Nepal, a village is being overrun by corrupt politicians collaborating with mercenaries to seize civilian land for a dam project. As Mike boards a tour bus with the help of a Mount Everest guide (Bingbing Fan), he encounters a range of characters including a U.S. government official obsessed with human rights, who brings along his uninterested daughter due to family divorce issues, a driver, and a few others who are even less engaging. They soon find themselves caught in the mercenaries’ plot to eliminate anyone obstructing the dam's construction, including the village elder's son, who develops a bond with the American’s daughter.

      From this peril, Mike takes control of the tour bus, navigating the mountain landscape amidst increasingly intense chase scenes. Despite returning writer/director Jonathan Hensleigh's efforts to place the bus in distinctive scenarios, such as using cables to slow its descent on steep, winding mountain roads or running it across a crane-operated bridge to cross a gap, the reality is that none of these moments are gripping. They often border on absurdity due to poor visual effects, including unrealistic falling rocks and explosions (this film lacks the production budget of the first, which at least managed to look better).

      Even as it combines typical Liam Neeson action elements with bus fights and sporadic shootouts (notably, Bingbing Fan also participates actively, which is expected given her background), the film remains exceedingly generic. Other than the opening and closing scenes, it hardly attempts any character development for Mike. Perhaps that’s for the best. It would be unjust to label Ice Road: Vengeance as unwatchable. The film is forgettable and, for nearly two hours, leaves viewers pondering a singular question: Where are the ice roads? Maybe it's a distraction from how dull and aimless the entire experience truly is.

      Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★

      Robert Kojder is part of the Chicago Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association, and Online Film Critics Society. He also serves as the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews and follow my BlueSky or Letterboxd.