Liam Neeson has nothing to prove. But his stardom might be endangered, his legacy at stake, if he continues to sign up for recycled, dead-on-arrival stuff like the Ice Road films. The very fact that it has a sequel is bizarre. It’s the most blatantly dull entry in the already asinine action films that no one would remember even a few days after seeing it. The problem with these generic films is their lack of personality. There’s no sass, bite, or distinct voice that the characters have in the Ice Road films. Everyone is super-efficient with the stunts, but the depth is altogether missing.
Director Jonathan Hensleigh fills the films with so much inherent complacency that nothing sticks out memorably. Some stunts are adroit, slick, but none of the characters bear their own particular set of grievances and resentments that make them humanly compelling. They make expressions, wince, and snarl, and that’s about it. The overarching track of living life again becomes lost in the muddle and chaos.
Ice Road: Vengeance (2025) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Neeson has to carry much of the action, but gradually the film also lets some of it to the other actors. The way they adapt is almost a bit too lacking in credibility and conviction. Gradually, all the other characters take to action effortlessly, slinging themselves out of trouble and navigating extremely messy situations. None of them gets petrified and threatened into surrender to the goons chasing them.
This has the old story of land dispute and the powerful snatching away fundamental rights at its core. But it doesn’t have any resonance. The sequel opens with Mike (Neeson) setting off for Kathmandu to honour his late brother’s will. His brother, who died in military action, wanted his remains to be disposed of at Mt. Everest. The film unravels as an increasingly fraught journey Mike undertakes to honour his brother’s wish. He might not have thought too much of the difficulties ahead, besides the question of his age and whether he can still do the demanding trek given his age.
But reassurance comes quickly from the guide, Dhani (Fan Bingbing), when he gets on the Everest-bound bus after landing at Kathmandu. She tells him he can train, and there’s always an oxygen supply they’ll be carrying. On the tour group that has boarded the bus, there’s a professor and human rights activist, Evan (Bernard Curry), his petulant teenage daughter, Starr (Grace O’Sullivan), and of course, the driver, Spike. All become unexpectedly entangled in danger.
Why is Vijay in danger?
Cross-cut with this track is the looming threat of a massive dam in Nepal that’ll displace many villages, cut off access to water. The Rai family has been mobilising people as they resist the takeover. Naturally, there are threats issued. Rudra Yash is the one at the forefront of the threats. Vijay Rai is the target of kidnapping. Right about when he gets on the bus, the kidnappers do too, led by the ferocious Jeet (Amelia Bishop). She says she will leave no witnesses alive, but Mike instantly foils her plans. He orchestrates a block, and the bus skids off. A scuffle ensues. Somehow, Mike and his team manage to ward off the kidnappers. Miraculously, cops also arrive at the exact spot. Vijay and the kidnappers are turned over. However, it isn’t a wise idea.
Evan gives Mike and Starr the lowdown on the region’s troubles with the dam opposition. Mike, Evan, and Dhani decide to barge into the place where the cops have kept Vijay. They see the kidnappers being in cahoots with the cops and torturing Vijay. Sadly, the professor gets shot and dies. Mike and Starr manage to extricate Vijay and the group flees. However, they keep being chased across vast terrain. The film encompasses this chase unfurling with frantic energy. Spike suffers a bullet, and he insists on being left behind in the open, taking in the vast splendour while dying.
There’s quite a bit of fuss with rejigging the bus to navigate the snowy path. Everyone puts their heads together and gets the bus going along the treacherous route. The enemies try to kill Vijay’s father, but he outsmarts them. Finally, Vijay and the group are united with his father. At his place, Mike recovers for a bit. Starr also has a major personality shift, triggered by the loss of her father.
The thing about this film is that there’s a lot of frenetic chasing. Mike and the group are constantly in peril. Their bus isn’t quite equipped for tackling the speed and smarts with which the enemies keep attacking. The latter just don’t quit. They keep hitting Mike. They won’t rest or cease until they nab Vijay. Neither are Mike and Dhani ready to cede him.
Ice Road: Vengeance (2025) Movie Ending Explained:
Is Mike able to rescue Vijay?
The chase continues with relentless energy and thrust. Neither side is willing to end it. Both are steadfast and competent to take on one another. It provides dramatic fury to the events. While managing a crane to take the bus over to the other side, Vijay’s father takes the bullet. The group, however, has to rush. They have no time for sentimental indulgence. Life is too precarious. They make it through a tunnel, aiming to cross over to China’s terrain. At the last lap, Jeet gets on the bus, and a physical clash ensues. Finally, Jeet and the goons are snuffed out. Rudra’s car gets hurled off the cliff by the bus. Mike and Dhani triumph in ensuring Vijay stays safe through it all.
As the film wraps up, Vijay, after returning to his village, announces a new, smaller dam that can take care of the community’s needs for both electricity and water. He has groundswell support. The threat is successfully erased. Mike and Dhani have developed a tender bond, a softness for each other. Mike gets his brother’s wish honoured. But Dhani isn’t one to keep Mike back. He has reached the Kathmandu airport when his brother’s words on living life with no regrets shake him up. He decides to stay back in Nepal and be with Dhani, where the two would possibly embark on adventures together.
