GusToby

I didn't think there was anything more that could be done with the evil babysitter genre and, on reflection, I was probably right. On the other hand there were two or three clever scenes I've not seen before but nothing that had me gripping the edge of my seat. The saddest part of the movie was the sequel-begging ending. I'm sorry, but even though cast and crew gave of their best there is nothing here I want to see again. If, like me, you downloaded this for nothing, you might be entertained late-night after a few drinks but I wouldn't pay to see it and I will certainly not be awaiting the next instalment. Plus points are that the menacing moments were exactly that - menacing rather than explicit - but the whole thing has TV movie/direct-to-DVD written all over it.

I'm not sure why the Scandinavian commentators on this movie are so uptight about this cool little gangster flick. Sure, it's full of Nordic stereotypes, but for non-Scandinavians who will already be confused by the mix of languages in the movie and the unfamiliarity of the actors, this won't matter a jot. It's a farce for heaven's sake, and nobody should be bothered by a little political incorrectness. Apart from some very modern bad language and one hilarious (but over the top) scene of tongue-in-cheek violence, this movie plays very much like an Ealing comedy. Think 'Lock Stock' meets 'The Ladykillers' with a hint of 'The Big White'. Well worth a look on TV or DVD, but the running time makes it a bad deal at a theatre.

The director and all the actors were new to me, and with the exception of Brian Mani, who gives a doing-it-by-numbers performance, they all tried really hard to made the twisting but ultimately unconvincing plot work. In fact, unusually for a noir, three of the four main characters are actually likable! First-time director and screenwriter Dave Hansen constructs something that rarely rises above the TV movie level, but it's a good TV movie and a far sight better than many of the bigger-budget mainstream productions I've seen lately. What it really lacks is tension, and maybe that's because it's too prettily filmed. Noirs work best in black and white, and this one is far too bright and cheerful. I've probably made this movie sound worse than it it. Despite its failings it's a good way of spending 90 minutes if you're in the right mood, so if you like John Dahl's modern noirs, give this one a try. Well worth renting, but not buying.