The Oath (Le serment d'Hippocrate)

Possible Spoilers!

I gave this very worthy flick 10 stars just to redress the balance of the negative reviews it has received here.

Works on all levels. The dramatic tension is consistent throughout. The father/daughter relationship is very realistic, particularly her lack of self awareness and immaturity wich are very recognisable traits of addicts.

Gísli Örn Garðarsson was convincing as Ottar. He wasn't painted as just a two dimensional villain. Just as real villains are not just villains. They love, have families, have a sense of humour, pets and hobbies and are often victims of bigger villains than themselves.

I laud Baltasar Kormakur as both a fine director and actor.

This movie did some things right, but also failed at many occasions. I liked the setting, the camera work, some of the actors (the daughter showed some decent acting), and the composition of most of the scenes, i.e. the background, was well done.

What I did not like was the main actor, who has a cinema-suited face, but that's all he has. Maybe he was told to not show any emotions, or he is just not able to. In either case he was really boring to watch, he did not seem emotionally involved in the scenes. You will also get some blatant product placement, which should have been done more subtle. If you need money for your film and you have to put in some product, at least do it in a way that's not so much in your face. The main actor, his wife, and the police chief were also poorly designed. They are full of cliché, and do not have those interesting traits that would make them a person which is somewhat believable. It seems that the main character was mostly designed in way that they could show off some "cool looking" scenery and camera work, his "hobbies" seemed to be chosen just for this reason. The wife of the main character seems only to be there to show a worried face and smoke. She did not say anything interesting or important.

The story was OK, for a TV-Thriller, but the other flaws did not allow me to get into it. And some scenes were just completely unnecessary. Anyway, I am writing this because no one else has written a review, and the current score is misleading, if you ask me.

''The Oath'' (original title: ''Eiðurinn'') is an Icelandic production, directed by the famous auteur, Baltasar Kormákur who gave us the exceptional ''Jar City'' in 2006 -a film based on a novel by Arnaldur Indridason- and is also the creator of the compelling television series, ''Trapped''. Kormákur is also the screenwriter of this film along with Ólafur Egilsson, and the protagonist as he portrays Finnur, an upper-class surgeon and father of Anna, a troubled teenager who is madly in love with a low-life criminal, Óttar (Gísli Örn Garðarsson is great in his performance). Of course, Finnur doesn't approve of his daughter's relationship and he is willing to do anything in order to win her back and be a family once again. But things spiral out of control and Finnur finds himself in a tough spot where he has to violate the Hippocratic Oath -this is the titular ''oath''- that every doctor takes in the beginning of his career, or lose his offspring for good. The plot unfolds on a rather steady tempo and the viewer has the opportunity to indulge in the great cinematography of the movie which is one of its greatest merits. The Icelandic landscape is a character in itself and always triggers a variety of gloomy, melancholic feeling that suits the story perfectly. ''The Oath'' is an emotional story about the existence -or not- of limits in the actions of a parent who wants to save his child from corruption and decay. The finale is moving and unconventional, giving the viewer's imagination space for his own interpretation. The production values of the film are of high quality and I think that ''The Oath'' is a better movie from the majority of the crime films produced in Hollywood. Baltasar Kormákur proves -once again- that he is a rising star in direction and that his point of view is insightful as well as humane.

I was having a rough week and wanted to watch something I knew would be high quality and a good watch so I looked for a Baltasar Kormakur joint. Always enjoy his films. This one has an interesting plot and good acting and beautiful shots of Iceland, but I think my main issue was I just did not like the daughter. Dad was doing his thing trying to look out for her but then he took it too far. Too bad because he seemed like a great doctor and cool father until this loser boyfriend showed up. His whole life went downhill fast. So this wasn't a great choice to cheer me up after my rough week but I'm glad I could check this one off my list. I'm trying to see everything BK does because I enjoy his work so much.

We've seen this story told many times before but this still seems fresh and the acting is quite good. A little slow to get started but when it does, it's quite suspenseful. It's worth a watch, and the Icelandic settings are a relief from the usual American locales.