At some juncture, every action star must face their greatest challenge in their own mortality. As Donnie Yen enters his 60's, the inevitability of time means his action career on screen is now entering its twilight years. “Polar Express” therefore represents a slight change in direction. A role that focuses as much on his acting prowess as on his physical. With Well Go USA releasing this latest work, it's an opportunity to see how he fares.
De (Donnie Yen) takes his wife Xuan (Cecilia Han) and their two children away for a vacation. An argument with his son Lele results in the child going missing. The desperate parents go to the local police and Chief Bai (Tianlai Hou) heads up the search. With time running out and revelations about De's actions coming to the surface, the chances of Lele's rescue diminish. An obsessive De pushes everyone forward but is he helping or only making matters worse?
A new Donnie Yen feature is always cause for excitement. Initial concerns arise, though, when considering it has taken two years to come out in the west. It was originally released as the more appropriate “Come Back Home”, a title that suits the more dramatic approach that this feature intends to be. Now, two years later, it arrives with the more generic “Polar Rescue” which might be more misleading as it gives an impression of a more action focused film that would be more in line with audience expectations.
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Lo Chi-Leung's script, as expected in the genre, adds a large amount of melodrama to the proceedings. The use of flashbacks adds depth to the characters but also helps ratchet up the tension. The deeper into the film we progress the more fractured the marriage seems to be. De is revealed to have a darker side which makes later accusations as to his son's fate all the more believable. Donnie Yen has had a career playing hot headed individuals so this element fits him well. The danger, however, is that these added layers reduce empathy. De's obsessive behavior arguably hinders the investigation as much as aids. His clashes with Bai and Xiao serve to cause frustration. Lele himself is initially obnoxious which makes empathy a challenge, especially when considering the risk his rescuers take.
In addition to the melodrama, the script takes some leaps of logic in the second half that stretch believability. The social media frenzy the hunt causes results in some mild criticism in the way the situation is exploited. There is a slight diversion for a suspected kidnapping and an epic avalanche. It's during this second half that Xuan really struggles as a character. Whilst De becomes increasing obsessive in his quest, his wife becomes more suspicious and we watch their relationship seemingly fracture. It hurts the character as one moment is supportive, then is wary after revelations about his behavior. Then flips back and forth. You are left with a sense that this is not a happy marriage and even if they locate Lele then its prospects are bleak. Cecilia Han gives a rather passive performance but these script swerves certainly don't help. Chief Bai (excellently played by Tianlai Hou) is the most empathic character. Close to retirement and still dealing with guilt experienced from an earlier failure. His humanity carries the middle stretch and is less affected by the surrounding plot melodramatics.
As ever in modern Chinese cinema, the services have access to a wide range of technology designed to show their efficiency. Also there is a sense of purpose that for once has a shade of credibility. Not for the scene where they all suddenly decide to carry on the search but the aftermath. Prior to the sudden revelation that heads us to the conclusion, we see the genuine emotional response to a character's fate. The question of sacrificing one's life for another is actually shown in the genuinely human reactions to this character's death and the anger and fury aimed at De. There is none of the Main Melody approach whereby all are in service to a common goal. These people suffer and feel they are being sacrificed for nothing.
As a vehicle for Donnie Yen, it's an interesting change of pace. A non-fighting role whilst still having an element of action in its disaster movie style storyline. Unfortunately, it is affected by plot inconsistencies and unsympathetic leads which substantially reduce engagement with the product. Donnie Yen gets an opportunity to flex his acting chops as opposed to kung fu ones but they lack the impact of the former. A tighter script would have helped but sadly this is a lesser feature and not one that can imagine his fans being invested in. “Polar Rescue” is one that will leave you cold.
