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.

So this is based on real life persons and incidents. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Certain things here may still seem like cliches, but that is just because we have become familiar with them and has not that much to do with the movie itself.

Dive into a life full of insanity and illegal happenings. You don't have to sympathize for most of the characters, but maybe you will get curious enough to want to know where their journey goes. Very well made and full of tension.

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...

The drug dealing underworld is the focus here, set in Iceland, with a group of very unseemly individuals, fueled by cocaine and large quantities of alcohol and loud music in one too many night club scenes. We get bad cops and criminals and mediocre acting with an apparently bad English dub in the version I watched. A guy nicknamed Psycho is lured into the drug trade by the big money to be made and he hooks up with a childhood friend in many law breaking activities, including a funny bank robbery. Along the way there is a homosexual rape, and some bloody violence. The pace is rapid, but by the time it finally ended, I really did not care what happened to anyone involved, because no one portrayed had any redeeming qualities. A very average entry into the crime genre.

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.