‘Polar’ Trailer: Netflix Joins The “‘John Wick’ But With…” Genre With Mads Mikkelsen

You know you’ve made an iconic action film when it joins the “…but with…” Hall of Fame. There’s “Die Hard,” and it’s myriad of “Die Hard but with…” clones. Then we had “Taken,” and it’s “Taken but with…” copycats. Now, there’s “John Wick.” Over the last year or so (and probably for the next 5), there have been a ton of “John Wick but with…” clones. And adding to that ever-growing list is the new Netflix film, “Polar,” which is clearly “John Wick but with Mads Mikkelsen and tons of color.”

The first trailer for “Polar” does a lot to show how it’s basically “John Wick,” with Mikkelsen playing a retired, grumpy assassin that gets brought back into the game (and the subject of a hunt) after his adorable neighbor was taken hostage and he was attacked. But there’s also something separating “Polar” from its “Wick”-ian influence – bright, saturated colors. Sure, “John Wick” features some fun colors, but what is being done with color in “Polar,” which is based on a graphic novel, is borderline obscene, with the saturation knob on the color correction turned up to 11.

This colorful choice is clearly a stylistic decision made by director Jonas Åkerlund, who is probably best known for very bright, overly-edited music videos from the last 20+ years. Joining Mikkelsen in the cast of “Polar” are Vanessa Hudgens, Katheryn Winnick, Matt Lucas, Ruby O. Fee, Fei Ren, Anthony Grant, Josh Cruddas, Robert Maillet, Julian Richings, Johnny Knoxville, and Richard Dreyfuss. Yup, they even got Dreyfuss.

Netflix is set to release “Polar” at the end of the month on January 25. Fix the color on your TVs and brace yourself.

Here’s the synopsis:

The world’s top assassin, Duncan Vizla, aka The Black Kaiser (Mads Mikkelsen), is settling into retirement when his former employer marks him as a liability to the firm. Against his will, he finds himself back in the game going head to head with an army of younger, faster, ruthless killers who will stop at nothing to have him silenced.