John Serba of Decider reviewed Ice Road: Vengeance on Sept. 15, 2025, and concluded that the Netflix release does little to elevate the formula of Liam Neeson’s post-Taken action films, issuing a clear recommendation to "skip it." Serba described the sequel as a "goofy" and largely forgettable installment that leans on familiar beats, contrivances and intermittent laughs that do not cohere into a satisfying whole.
Ice Road: Vengeance reunites Neeson with director Jonathan Hensleigh and pairs him with Chinese star Fan Bingbing. The film follows Neeson’s character, trucker Mike McCann, who travels to Nepal to carry out his late brother’s wish to have his ashes scattered near Mount Everest. Instead of a quiet pilgrimage, McCann becomes entangled in a violent land dispute pitting a developer against local villagers, and is drawn into a series of action set pieces that include a bus hijacking and an icy road sequence late in the film.
Serba noted that the film functions as another entry in what he called the "Generic Liam Neeson Action Movies" category that has dominated Neeson’s filmography since the 2008 success of Taken. He pointed to recurring elements: a hard-bitten protagonist with specialized skills, abrupt shifts into international locales, and a reliance on the actor’s steady professionalism to carry material that is otherwise thin. While Serba acknowledged Neeson’s commitment to the role, he said the screenplay and direction leave the film tonally uncertain and populated by contrivances.
Among the criticisms, Serba singled out awkward tonal shifts and what he called "janky" action sequences augmented by cheap CGI and visible stunt-double work during heavier stunts. He wrote that plot conveniences are frequent, citing moments in which McCann improvises mechanical fixes and repeatedly finds precisely the spare parts he needs. The critic also observed that, despite the title, the film offers "notably zero vengeance," folding a revenge-suggestive headline into a more conventional "villagers-versus-developers" narrative and a personal-closure subplot about spreading ashes.
Serba described several scenes as emblematic of the film's uneven tone, including a sequence in which airport security forces McCann to place his brother’s ashes into a plastic container, leading to an awkward bathroom transfer that the reviewer said reads like an intentional gag. He questioned whether the director might have served the material better by leaning fully into broad comedy rather than oscillating between sentiment and farce.
The review summarized supporting elements: Fan Bingbing portrays Dhani, a former military figure who serves as McCann’s sherpa; the ensemble includes a tour bus driver and other travelers who soon find themselves in peril. Serba noted a few moments of genuine entertainment but said they were insufficient to overcome structural weaknesses.
Context in Neeson’s career featured in the review: since Taken, Neeson has frequently headlined mid-budget action films that trade on his persona as a world-weary, competent protagonist. Serba praised The Grey as a standout in that informal category but judged Ice Road: Vengeance as falling short of distinguishing itself from the pack.
Serba’s verdict was emphatic: he recommended viewers pass on the film, summing up his assessment with an ironic closing line and the capitalized guidance "SKIP IT." The review appears as part of Decider’s Stream It Or Skip It column and reflects one critic’s appraisal; audience reactions and other reviews may vary.