Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- darkly comic
- irreverent
- kinetic
- late night viewing
- dark comedy night
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The hamburger fixation, absurd holdup, and grotesque bomb setup make criminal violence deliberately comic.
Leo and Nico, their pursuers, undercover police, and the joyriding youths are followed through intersecting storylines before meeting outside Pauls Eck.
Leo is presented as an experienced, disciplined hitman, yet the mistaken contract and ensuing pursuit make his expertise unable to secure survival.
Leo and Nico find refuge together while both believe their failed jobs have placed them on a short path toward execution.
Films like The Polar Bear, and why
Grosse Pointe Blank
Shares a grimly comic hitman premise, criminal underworld setting, stylized violence, and fatalistic romance.
Pulp Fiction
Combines intersecting criminals, dark humor, gun violence, and a tightly compressed urban crime narrative.
Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead
Matches the film's eccentric crime ensemble, absurdist violence, and doomed romantic undercurrent.
True Romance
Shares a fatalistic noir atmosphere, professional killers, romantic entanglement, and bleakly comic action.
Movie Details
- Directors
- Granz Henman, Til Schweiger
- Release Date
- 1998-11-12
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (43)
Cast
- Til Schweiger
- Karina Krawczyk
- Benno Fürmann
- Florian Lukas
- Jürgen Tarrach
- Ralf Richter
- Thierry van Werveke
- Ralph Herforth
- Leonard Lansink
- Leander Haußmann
Common questions
- What is The Polar Bear about?
- A veteran hitman and a fellow assassin fall in love while bungled contracts, stolen cars, and a bomb draw a criminal city into a deadly collision.
- What is The Polar Bear like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Polar Bear as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Polar Bear violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Polar Bear as graphic.
- Which films are like The Polar Bear?
- Films with a similar feel include Grosse Pointe Blank, Pulp Fiction, Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead, and True Romance.
- How long is The Polar Bear?
- The Polar Bear runs 90 minutes.
