Review by Antagonisten

Audiences should be used by now to Peter Dalles special brand of film-making. One could easily say that he is a man with a rather cruel view of humanity, and this also shows. His sense of humor is not for the weak-hearted and dark as coal. This however is both more accessible and more elaborate than his previous works.

Gunnar is a literary critic who wants to change his life. This is just after World War 2 and Gunnar decides to go to Germany where there is work rebuilding the country. He wants to make a difference. He gets on the train to Berlin along with a gallery of other personalities. Some of which have more sinister motives...

Seldom have i seen a noir murder story mixed with slapstick-comedy. And i guess this is not for everyone, but in my opinion it works pretty well. Mostly due to solid acting from most of the cast. The murder story is quite interesting, but would perhaps have a had hard time standing by itself. But with the small side-tracks and the humor added the movie moves along quite nicely. Also i have to say that this is one of the nicest-looking Swedish movies i've seen. The technical quality is excellent in Swedish terms.

So, no movie is perfect. What is lacking? Well some of the actors, especially Anna Björk and Kristina Törnqvist in the two largest female parts, are quite wooden and unnatural. They could just as well be reading their lines from a piece of paper. Also the slapstick has a rather brutal touch to it sometimes that becomes almost too much. But of course this is a matter of taste and humor.

All in all i felt this was a well-made and enjoyable movie from director Peter Dalle. I rate it 6/10 and recommend it.