Svartur á leik

Black's Game is a film produced by the director of Drive, Nicolas Winding Refn. I most likely don't need to tell you this, as most of you will have probably come to this after devouring his cinematography, looking for more of the same stylish cinema. What I do need to tell you is that this, isn't really like his works, well at least not his more modern attempts. It does have aspects of Refn, most notably with the Soundtrack and the style, but this is not Refn. Óskar Thór Axelsson establishes himself here as someone to watch.

It starts slowly, and as the events unfurl and become chaotic, so does the pace of the film really hyping up towards the finale. Every character is well played, and despite the language barrier, I could actually feel the characters. Everything about this film, was stylish and well played out, really mimicking its subject and the lifestyle without seeming forced.

At a relatively short time of an hour and forty minutes, this doesn't outstay its welcome, unlike a lot of films released today. And is well worth a watch, especially if you like crime drama's. Overall, a stylish look at the start of the Millennium, and a fascinating character driven crime drama.

I saw this film as part of the Rotterdam Film Festival 2012. Main features are the high quality acting and script. The story has an unmistakable drive, keeping your attention for the whole duration. What we see unroll is a typical growth path for a young criminal. He starts with something relatively innocent, moves on to something less benign, and just has to continue from then on while becoming more and more unable to leave the "circle".

As a bonus we get a nice hint from the mentor-in-crime of our main character. When something unexpected happens, do the first thing that comes to mind, however strange it may be, and do it without any hesitation. He indeed acts on that rule a few times with success, especially in the final scene. How that last scene ends exactly, is deliberately left open by the film makers. I don't consider that to be a real problem, this being the only logical wrap-up for the story.

The final Q&A revealed that the footage was shot last May, but that the editing only finished the Monday before the festival screening. Having a fixed deadline in the form of this festival, was definitely needed to arrive at the finished product we saw.

That's what this great movie reminded me of: An Islandic Goodfellas. A morality tale with a comparable "inner circle" of criminal drug-buddies that go through the rise and fall of their own empire.

Stylish as hell, with again many moments that reminded me of Goodfellas and in a way the films of Guy Ritchie, but still with it's own originality and raw power. This combined with great acting all round, especially from the lead "Stebbi Psycho" who kind of keeps a somewhat naive innocence about him, compared to his mostly pretty psychotic buddies, makes this a highly entertaining and engaging watch.

Indeed the beautiful Islandic backdrops that pass by frequently deserve to be mentioned as well. Makes a nice contrast to the greyish slightly dreary Reykjavik suburbs that the story takes place in.

7/10

It was entertaining to see gangs and crime and how they act, this subject is interesting. Maybe too much hanky panky that don't add to the plot. However, that scene with the villain and Stebbi made me hope that Stebbi could get rid of him... he didn't and that scene is so heartbreaking. I wanted to hug him and I hoped for justice, that didn't happen either. He didn't tell anyone, he at least followed his friend's advice to fight in the craziest moment. But it isn't even clear what happened - at least for me because I didn't pay attention to the details.

So the movie manages to be entertaining and emotionally touching but has its flaws.

In spite of its smallness and remoteness, Iceland has lively and notable film industry, with several remakes made in Hollywood and world-famous actors included. This century has seen the development of thrillers, often based on real events - in the line of other Nordic countries. Svartur á leik is a fine example of them: realistic plot and characters, twists in the scenario, witty ending... Well, unlike in Hollywood films, there are no constant chases, shootings and explosions, characters are not dealing with thoughtful sayings and not escaping in the very final moment... Nevertheless, there is a kind of Nordic style, splendidly complemented by nature scenes and club milieu. The actors and scene feed may seem a bit torpid, but so the Nordic people are...

Recommended to all those fond of Nordic crime films, and not thinking of Iceland as an idyllic and static country - international crime and addictions have reached this distant and thinly populated island as well...