Gamle mænd i nye biler

"Gamle maend in nye biler - Alte Männer in neuen Autos`, the prequel to "I kina spiser de hunde". Part-time-chef and gangster Harald is here again, together with his subordinates, including Vuk and his Serbian body-guard. New among them is a Swedish psychopath, specialized in killing every woman he meets. But not in Denmark. There he meets the love of his life. Like in "I kina..." the cold-storage room becomes the mortuary, cooking becomes side-line. Though Harald's subordinates would rather take part in a pastry competition instead of supporting his criminal machinations.

Lasse Spang Olsen made a solid gangster flick but does not come up to "I Kina spiser de honde". Too much action too long, too much violence (esp. against Vuk), that does not result from comic accidents. Therefore, this "prequel" lacks the anarchic sense of humor, one would have expected. Solid, but not as good as "I kina.."

The 1999 Danish black comedy In China They Eat Dogs brought an enjoyable gust of fresh air to the often overly serious Nordic cinema. The prequel Old Men in New Cars casts light on the characters' earlier life: Harald (Kim Bodnia) has just been released from prison and owes a large sum of money to a gangster named Ratko (Slavko Labovic) but doesn't let the debt bother him very much. After his dying father figure Munken (Jens Okking) asks Harald to locate his estranged son Ludvig (Torkel Petersson), Harald and his cook friends Martin and Peter (Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Tomas Villum Jensen) and their new inept assistant Vuk (Brian Patterson) come up with a plan to get Ludvig, a multiple murderer with a sensitive side, out of a Swedish prison. While robbing a bank, they also they also become attached to a suicidal woman Mille (Iben Hjejle) who tags along and evokes new kinds of feelings in Ludvig. Next it is time for an elaborate airplane hijacking...

The main difference to the first movie is the absence of the mild-mannered Arvid, arguably the protagonist of In China They Eat Dogs. Instead, the prequel focuses on Harald and his ever-calm attitude to whatever obstacles life drops in front of him. The semi-reluctant Martin and Peter are the same as before, providing a lot of comedy with their awkward insecurity when things get rough and bodies start piling up, not to mention the always hapless Vuk who keeps getting seriously injured as a running gag in both movies. The main charm of the humour still lies in the deadpan delivery of the gang's outrageously implausible schemes, be it a prison break by bungee cord or an airplane robbery with an ambulance.

The action scenes, while not as numerous as in Hollywood blockbusters, are well designed and both entertaining and exciting. Especially the car chase after the bank robbery deserves a special mention, rarely do we get to see such wreckage in any normal Nordic thriller. The actors also do a good job; especially Kaas and Jensen are great as the manipulatable henchmen of the menacing Kim Bodnia, but Iben Hjejle is a joy to watch as well. Even though the absence of Arvid seems disappointing at first, it soon becomes obvious that Torkel Petersson's Ludvig is more than enough to replace him – Ludvig's homicidal tendencies mix with his caring side rather hilariously.

The familiar absurd undercurrent is still strong and the humour and action are in good balance, so those who enjoyed In China They Eat Dogs have no reason to miss out Old Men in New Cars. In the first movie there was a serious theme under the surface, namely a mild-mannered man's desire to be true to himself, and while the prequel feels a bit more straightforward, it also presents a dramatic story about familial love. In any case, both films belong among the best Danish films I have seen in a good while.

I don't know what all these people are complaining about - I saw this movie in a film festival over here and spent most of the movie trying not to p*** myself with laughter. How the characters get in and out of such completely off the wall situations, and the deadpan way they said some of the lines left me in hysterics.

Granted it isn't a perfect film, but it's a good 7/10

I thought the first movie was great. Not only did it have cool action and great, if a little bizar humor, it was also slightly philosophical. This movie is devoid of the latter, but I still laughed my ass off. It is a (pre)sequel, and taken as such, it is quite good. Story is weak and incoherent, direction is shabby, but the dialog, and bizar events, were right on the mark. If you have seen the first, and read this, you should know whether or not you will enjoy it. I know I did, even if it couldn't match up to the first (Hey, not much can.) So enjoy.

Blame me for watching it before the first part but still when I analyze it now I have to say this one was a vast improvement from the first one. It has a concrete storyline throughout the film and does not stray much into the subplots unlike the first one. I thoroughly enjoyed the flow of story which looked more plausible thanks to the crisp editing and intelligent direction which doesn't give you much time to ponder around. All in all, a highly superior sequel to follow up the brilliant "In China they eat dogs". Yes, I wouldn't mind at all if the director comes up with some wacky storyline and decides to complete the trilogy with the third one and I'm sure there will be lots of others who'll agree with me!!