ICE ROAD: VENGEANCE (AMAZON PRIME) (2025)

SYNOPSIS: On the road to Mt. Everest, big rig driver Mike McCann (Liam Neeson) takes on ruthless mercenaries to protect a busload of tourists and save a village on the brink of destruction.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Out of the many generic action flicks in Liam Neeson’s late-career catalogue, Ice Road surprisingly gets a sequel. For a moment, we mistook it for Cold Pursuit at least that one was a dark, violent action-comedy. Once our memory kicked in, we remembered Ice Road wasn’t terrible, but that doesn’t mean it deserved a follow-up.

Neeson returns as Mike McCann, a man who while not quite Bryan Mills still possesses a “particular set of skills,” namely the ability to maneuver a big rig across treacherous, icy terrain. In Ice Road: Vengeance, McCann travels to Nepal to scatter the ashes of his late brother (Marcus Thomas) at Mount Everest. Naturally, he needs a guide and that comes in the form of Dhani Yangchen, played by none other than Fan Bingbing, once China’s biggest starlet.

In what has to be one of the most conveniently contrived plot turns ever, a group of kidnappers hijacks the tour bus McCann and Dhani are on. Hired by a corrupt developer, the villains’ mission is to eliminate an entire family refusing to sell their ancestral land for a massive hydroelectric dam project. After the driver and a fellow passenger are killed, McCann and Dhani decide to take matters into their own hands. And no, this isn’t Speed even if the plot wants you to think so.

With the help of some dodgy CGI, Australia doubles as Nepal, while writer-director Jonathan Hensleigh does his best to recapture the thrills and spills of the first installment. Unfortunately, the result is a tired, uninspired ride that struggles to maintain momentum. Clocking in at nearly two hours, most of the film is spent inside the bus as McCann and crew fend off a corrupt cop and a few gun-toting henchmen. The action choreography is dull, resembling more of a mannequin toss than actual fight sequences.

To his credit, senior action man Liam Neeson still pulls off a few gruff punches, leaving the heavier stunts to his double. Fan Bingbing has solid chemistry with Neeson and proves more than capable in the action scenes. But while the cast tries to make it work, Ice Road: Vengeance is riddled with implausibilities—be it crossing a gorge via a construction crane or the complete emotional vacuum after loved ones are killed.

Ultimately, Ice Road: Vengeance is a clunky, poorly made “dad movie.” The premise feels like a thin excuse to string together chase scenes and shootouts with only a handful of flashbacks attempting to justify McCann’s grief and motivations. If you’re hoping this film marks a Neeson renaissance, look elsewhere. This is just another icy road best left untraveled.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee