R

I went to see this after I saw the trailer last week because I love the Scandinavian TV series that have been shown in Europe over the last few years. BTW, these series have been rated as "getting over the sub titles hangup" on TV....!!

Anyway, I loved Borgen which starred some of the same people.

However, although the acting/actors were first rate, and the photography good, if sombre, as it should have been, the story was trite.

I haven't see Le Prophete to which it is compared, but I have seen Shawshank. I cannot understand the comparison with Shawshank, a much better movie, not really on the same subject, except superficially.

It was gritty, nasty, illustrating well how low people can sink. So? As a movie supposedly about life in prison it was disjointed, bitty, disconnected. The general story line was clear, drug dealing in prison, but the relationships, the deals and the dealing, were poorly dealt with.

As was said in the previous reviews the last 20mins was hard to take, being so far from the rest of the movie.

For a production team with such a good filmography this is out of line.

Happiest citizens in the world live in Denmark... I guess they forgot to interview those in the prison system!

Tormented souls, violence and prove of "masculinity", bullying, corruption, drugs... everything wrong is here... and two men stand out for a short time: Rune and Rashid! Trying to survive in an environment where death is a daily possibility.

Rough world depicted by masters Tobias Lindholm and Michael Noer, who wrote and co-directed this film!

Very nice film that really shows how the life in prison can be. Many of the prisoners are real bad guys, and some of them have actually been to prison in the very same place that the movie is shot before the prison closed in 2006.

Also the main correctional officer Kim, is a real officer that actually used to work in the very same prison, and is now working in Denmarks newest high security prison that opened in October 2006.

The movie shows a very harsh environment, just the way it actually was. When you watch it you get a real feeling of what it would be like to be in prison.

Today the old prison is operating as a museum and many parts of the building has been left untouched since the last inmates were moved to the new prison.

aw this film at it's press screening this morning at Edinburgh International Film Festival. I'd heard it was meant to be the next 'Un Prophete'. Certainly if you haven't seen 'Un Prophete' you may well think this film is brilliant. Those that have seen 'Un Prophete' however may go away a little bit disappointed. There is just too much that is the same in both films. Both the films explore the tough inner workings of a prison from the point of view of a new comer. We are not told why this main character is in prison, only that he maybe stabbed somebody. He seems to be a good guy who is trapped working for a gang in prison. He's made to do tasks he doesn't want to do so he isn't treated like dirt, or killed. there is also another gang in the prison made up of Albanians etc…etc….etc….

It's the same old prison story that's getting told over and over. It is however a solid story so it's what they do with it that matters.

They succeed in creating a likable main character that we sympathise with and support. They show how gritty and corrupt a Danish prison is. They do the whole thing with sexy camera angle's and expert editing.

I was enjoying the movie, until I began to feel it wasn't going anywhere, then near the end we switch character perspective and follow a different character for the last fifteen minutes. For me, the story ends with our main character, I'm not interested in seeing his friend story for another 15minutes, that just didn't work for me. I saw others shifting uncomfortably in the audience as well. When the second end does come though it does hit with impact. I found myself wanting to look away as it was fairly intense.

The film is on some levels very good, the soundtrack is perfect, well there's no songs just an intense score. The acting is amazing, the set is great, editing brilliant, script, pretty flawless. It's the story that just didn't grab me like it should've. There was nothing I hadn't seen before. It was a classic prison movie, done better than most, but not as good as 'Un Prophete' and 'Shawshank'. I was blown away by some shots in the film which were just incredible.

'Un Prophete' for me is the best prison movie, it has everything, it is long, but justifiably. R is shorter at 90 minutes, but it was the end that spoiled it for me. If R had come out before 'Un Prophete' I'd probably like it better, but R doesn't explore much that 'Un Prophete' doesn't. I just wasn't interested in the last 15/20minutes. It's a shame, a lot of work has obviously gone into the film. It is still worth seeing. However I'd recommend most people just stick with 'Un Prophete'.

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Prison movies are hard to make. Though the good ones seem effortlessly. And while you can file most of them as dramas (like this one), they almost feel like a sub-genre. Pacing is always key, which this movie proves can handle very well. It's not fancy, but what prison actually is, it's more down and dirty.

The relationships explored make sense in this. And while we may not get all the answers from this movie, the characters are mysterious enough, but also engaging enough for us to care. And that's quite a feat for a movie about criminals and their just (?) punishment. Arguing if prison is the best solution for some or if it works as a whole is a completely different matter.