Wild Men

"Martin" (Rasmus Bjerg) does a fine impersonation of a Viking chasing down a goat with a bow and arrow... Thing is, he's pretty useless and we quickly discover he's a fairly fair-weather hunter with a penchant for crisps and chocolate. Whilst he is foraging, a group of men driving along the road have an unfortunate encounter with a moose and believing his friends are dead, the injured "Musa" (Zaki Youssef) abandons the wreck and sets off for help. It's "Martin" who finds him and helps him with some home made first aid before they set off together to find his tent. Separately, we are aware that the police are after after the moose-manglers and when they apprehend "Musa", "Martin" intervenes making him just as wanted as his new friend and setting the scene for some daft escapades amongst the wilderness. What only makes matters worse is that his friends are still very much alive, and they too are on his trail - all for the contents of a sports bag! At times this is actually quite funny and Bjerg has a bit of comedy timing to him, but sadly the story rather runs out of steam and becomes a little too farcical as thugs, police and the pair reach a disappointing denouement. There is some glorious scenery to behold and the writing does delivery some fun from the characters' eccentricities - especially the familiar face of Rune Temte who's "Henrik" leads a village of real live Vikings cooking freshly caught meat over the fire (whilst their car is parked nearby). It tries a bit too hard, but is a bit different and worth a watch.

It's a really interesting look into what I think a lot of people may be feeling and experiencing these days. Very touching. Beautiful scenery. A bit of dark humor. Would watch again.

If you enjoyed "Seven Psychopaths", "Fargo" or "Flickering Lights" then this movie is for you.

Beautiful cinematography with a cast of inept policemen and bumbling crooks.

Ok, there are a few "Eh?" moments but by and large it's a study of human behaviour and the challenges of life set against a bleak Scandinavian landscape.

Worth a look.

I don't speak the language (like many, I presume), so I hesitated with Wild Men, fearing I'd spend the whole film reading subtitles, which usually means missing out on the acting, facial expressions, and other visual details. Here, however, I really felt that it was all working beautifully, undoubtedly thanks to a well paced script and editing. I had a great time and despite the farcical nature of a few of the scenes (some of which are truly hilarious), the underlying stories of the protagonists are much deeper than you'd expect from the trailer. In hindsight, I think a strength of this film is that it knits a story that uses original aspects of the region (and not only the stunning nature and folklore but also how people interact with each other) while at the same time exploring universal themes that, to me at least, made it not only enjoyable but also deeply contemplative at times. I'll definitely watch it again!

Extremely well made movie!

• Funny and well written dialogue.

• Emotionel and comedic acting from all the actors.

• Beautiful cinematography.

-Great director and good focus.