Donnie Yen took a dramatic turn without the benefit of his martial arts skills in Comeback Home aka Polar Rescue. This family thriller about a lost child set in a beautiful snowy wilderness was marred by poor storytelling.

A De and his family are on their last day of vacation having a blast playing in the snow at a resort. He has promised his son a trip to Lake Tian to see the monster living there. Finding the road closed due to inclement weather they take an alternate route where their car ends up stuck in a snowy pothole. A De and his wife manage to dislodge the car but their son Lele throws a fit and nearly gets everyone injured when another car comes up the road. When the eight-year-old’s temper tantrum escalates, A De leaves him there to teach him a lesson while he drives his wife and daughter to a nearby store. When A De returns, his son is nowhere to be seen.

I was looking forward to watching Yen in a non-martial arts film and he did fine here as the worried and hotheaded father. The winter scenery was gorgeous. The music while melodramatic fit the film. Where Polar Rescue slipped and fell was in the writing. A De’s initial response seemed utterly unbelievable for a caring father. At times the search and rescue teams were portrayed with all the propaganda they could fit in. At other times they were incompetent, unprofessional, and petty. If only perfect people were worthy of rescue, no one would ever be rescued. I found most of the characters’ actions baffling and at times infuriating.

Comeback Home had interesting moments and many that strained credulity. If you are a fan of Donnie Yen or family dramas where a member is in danger you might want to give this a try. Or if you are simply in need of a film with snow continuously falling. If you’ve ever known someone who has worked search and rescue or you need your thrillers to make a modicum of sense, you’ll want to avoid this one.

19 November 2024