Polar (2019)
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An aging assassin nearing retirement is targeted by his own employer who seeks to seize his pension.
The story
Duncan Vizla, known as "The Black Kaiser," is a veteran assassin for the organization Damocles who is approaching mandatory retirement. Because of his significant contributions to the company retirement fund, he is owed over $8 million. However, the owner of Damocles, Mr. Blut, plans to sell the company and intends to murder retired operatives to claim their benefits. Duncan is pressured into one final contract, only to discover it is a setup to have him killed. While living in a remote Montana town, Duncan must navigate a web of betrayal as his former colleagues and his employer move to eliminate him.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Duncan Vizla, a legendary assassin for Damocles, is targeted by his employer, Mr. Blut, who wants to steal Duncan's $8 million retirement fund by murdering him. After a setup mission in Belarus goes wrong, Duncan returns to his home in Montana. He is hunted by a hit squad of Damocles employees. During a confrontation at his home, Duncan kills most of the squad but is betrayed by an old friend, Porter, and kidnapped by Alexei. Duncan is taken to Blut's mansion, where he is tortured for three days. He eventually escapes, kills Blut's henchmen, and rescues Camille, a woman he has been anonymously supporting. It is revealed that Camille is the daughter of a family Duncan murdered years ago. She tracks him down, and after a tense standoff, she spares his life, and they agree to work together to find out who ordered her father's death.
- First release year
- 2019
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United States; Germany; Canada
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jonas Åkerlund
- Writers
- Jayson Rothwell · writer
- Cast and characters
- Mads Mikkelsen · Duncan Vizla; Vanessa Hudgens · Camille; Katheryn Winnick · Sindy; Matt Lucas · Lomas
- Genres
- neo-noir; action; thriller
- Themes
- Guilt; Betrayal; Retribution
- Tone and mood
- Neo-noir; Violent
- Premise and plot tags
- Assassin; Retirement; Hit Squad; Graphic Novel Adaptation
- Source material / true-story basis
- Víctor Santos's 2013 graphic novel Polar: Came From the Cold
- Franchise connections
- Polar
- Reception
- The film received negative critical reception, with a low approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a weighted average on Metacritic indicating 'overwhelming dislike'.
- Production trivia
- The film was first announced in October 2014 as a live action adaptation of Dark Horse Comics' Polar.; The residence of musician Deadmau5 was used as a filming location for the opening scene.; Deadmau5 produced the film's original score.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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