What kind of a madman would star in both movies called POLAR and ARCTIC in the same year? A Mads-man, that’s who (excuse the pun, or don’t, I don’t care). Despite the etymologically similar titles they couldn’t be more different projects. This is THE REVENANT two centuries further on and with a different bear. In very few films are you genuinely convinced that the hero is going to die, but Arctic is definitely one of them. It would be nigh-on impossible to survive on your own stranded in the Arctic Circle but Overgård (Mads Mikkelsen) has to drag someone else around on a sledge for most of the movie as well. It’s taut and harsh and gritty, only giving in to some slight romanticising in the final stretch. Survival nuts will get a kick out of the attention to detail and the research put in, everyone else will be compelled by another quietly dignified powerhouse performance from Mikkelsen. SSP
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About SSP
Sam Sewell-Peterson
I'm not paid to write about film - I do it because I love it. Favourite filmmakers include Bong Joon-ho, Danny Boyle, the Coen Brothers, Nicolas Winding Refn, Clio Barnard, Steven Spielberg, Guillermo del Toro, Paul Verhoeven, Taika Waititi and Edgar Wright. All reviews and articles are original works written and owned by me. They represent one man's opinion, and I'm more than happy to engage in civilised debate if you disagree.
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