Liam Neeson is back at it again, delivering yet another must-watch action-thriller with one of 2025’s most underrated hits. Ice Road: Vengeance is now streaming, putting the 73-year-old actor back in another do-or-die scenario as he braves the frigid cold and precarious heights of Mount Everest, all while battling a tour bus full of bad guys.
A sequel to 2021’s surprise hit, The Ice Road, the action-thriller sequel predictably flopped in theaters but has since become a massive hit on streaming (as is becoming increasingly common for films of its ilk). For fans of Liam Neeson’s work and the action-thriller genre as a whole, Ice Road: Vengeance is a must-watch. Full of fun action sequences, unique setpieces, and surprises, the 2025 sleeper hit can’t go unnoticed by the average action film fan.
Ice Road: Vengeance Is a Nonsense-Filled Thrill Ride
In an age where every movie is expected to be the next big blockbuster, not enough films get credit for simply offering a great viewing experience. Like its predecessor, Ice Road: Vengeance doesn’t preoccupy itself with becoming a box office hit. Instead, the film focuses on providing exactly the kind of fun, violence, and ridiculousness that audiences have come to appreciate from other similar action B-movies. It may not be the most unique or novel action-thriller, but Ice Road: Vengeance has more than enough thrills and chills to become the next great cult classic.
The sequel takes place shortly after the events of The Ice Road, as Liam Neeson’s Mike McCann mourns the death of his younger brother, Gurty. To honor his brother’s dying wish, Mike plans to travel to the peak of Mount Everest, where he will scatter Gurty’s ashes as a final resting place.
However, his plans turn awry when a band of mercenaries targets a young boy named Vijay (Saksham Sharma), whose family has been targeted as part of a series of assassinations. Together with his guide, Dhani (Fan Bingbing), Mike vows to protect Vijay and defeat the mercenaries along the harrowing trek up the mountain.
Despite an underwhelming run in theaters, Ice Road: Vengeance has performed exceptionally well on streaming platforms. The film made its streaming debut on Netflix in September, where it has remained one of the service’s most-watched movies. Despite mostly negative reviews and a limited promotional campaign, the action sequel has clearly found its audience in the at-home market. This continues a renaissance of sorts for Liam Neeson this year, with films like The Naked Gun and Non-Stop also surging on streaming.
Ice Road: Vengeance Deserves More Credit
Ice Road: Vengeance has the makings of a cult classic, overcoming a shaky start with critics and in theaters to find its fan base on streaming platforms. Audiences keep coming back to Liam Neeson’s new action flick despite its mostly negative reviews (the film holds an unenviable 14% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
While the film isn’t likely to win any awards, Ice Road: Vengeance shines thanks to its epic action sequences, which are a step above those of other similar action flicks, thanks to their harrowing location. The Mount Everest setting offers extra tension to the film’s action setpieces, as fights break out atop harrowing precipices and sheer cliffsides. The film also proves to be surprisingly emotional, as Liam Neeson’s Mike McCann gradually learns to cope with his brother’s death and overcomes his survivor’s guilt.
The Ice Road films are terrific for action movie fans who enjoy Neeson’s previous work, particularly in the Taken trilogy. Ever since starring in the hit 2008 action-thriller, Neeson has repeatedly starred in similar films, to varying levels of success. While Ice Road will never be as well-known or beloved as Taken, the film includes just enough similarities to be reminiscent of its predecessor without ever feeling like a carbon copy. Pairing Neeson up with younger actors, Ice Road: Vengeance gets to do a bit more character work for Mike McCann than Taken does with Bryan Mills, making for a surprisingly emotional journey.
Critics may not have loved Ice Road: Vengeance or its predecessor, but both films deserve a bit more credit for what they bring to the table. The surprise hit franchise offers fun action sequences, intriguing character arcs, and respectable performances that are more than enough to entertain audiences for an hour and a half. With both films available to stream right now, Ice Road could be a surprising new crowd favorite.