Le Vol de la Madone noire

If there is one person in Denmark who makes the most awful movies, then it's Lasse Spang Olsen. He really knows how to waste the tax-payers money.

He keeps making the same movie over and over again, and actually thinks he's a good director. Leave action comedies to the Americans. They got more money and has miles better screenwriters. Even the worst American movie are way better than this one.

It's a complete mystery how The Danish Film Institute gave this guy a chance in film making. Somebody should be fired to give these kinds of movies the green-light.

Perfect for a Sunday viewing, this is a sometimes silly but ultimately enjoyable crime comedy. Maria (Tuva Novotny), who is working as a stripper to pay for her studies, receives a painting through the post from her estranged father Kurt.

Only problem he's stolen it from the Russian Mafia. Also on his trail is policeman Gustav (Anders Berthelsen), who wants to get the artwork back from the thieves. Action, laughs and romance follow in what is a very enjoyable movie. This has a lot to do with two leads who are a joy to watch. The other roles are also well played especially in the way of comedy.

So once again Lasse Sprang Olsen has made another lame danish action comedy with the support of the danish film institute. Horray! Like all the other films he's been in charge of, this follows popular danish actors who talk with corny punchlines during, apparently, the best stunts on danish soil... Or, the best we can do. Denmark have still a lot to learn about action sequences! Bad timing, bad editing and bad ideas! And during those, we all have to laugh at the dialogue! Will you ever grow up, Lasse? Now it has been 8 years with one idea duplicated into 5 films. Same poor action, same insignificant and corny story with a gentle touch poorly actor directing. I mean, Tuva Novotny is properly a good actress and I know Anders W. Berthelsen, Nicolas Bro and Birthe Neumann are. But why are they so horrible in your film? You got all the possibilities with the support of the danish film institute to make something original and serious, and then you spoil it away on your infantile humor. You should actually try to see and understand American action movies before you try to copy them and make them danish!

It is obvious that Henning Bahs (Writer of Olsen Banden) was the man behind this movie. This is the action of Benny Frandsen (In this movie his name is "Kurt"). Fun, love and action. Not at movie,that will change the world, but great entertainment. If you Like Olsen Banden, you got to see this one.

The plot is not far from the plot used in the musical "Olsen Banden og den Russiske Juvel". It might be the same story, transformed to a new script.

Morteh Grunwald, Ole Thestrup and Nicolas Bro are great as small-fish-criminals, all though their mentality is more up to date, than you would expect from an Olsen Banden Movie.

All the best actors in Denmark cannot save this stinker. The script is inept, trying to be funny. It comes across phony and heavy handed, it's amateur night.

Americans can make low intelligence one-liners work. Lasse Spang Olsen cannot. The action is contrived, like children's efforts to imitate what they see in American action movies. It is obvious the director is impressed with himself ... I'm not.

It makes you cry to watch top actors like Nicolas Bro, Morten Grunwald and Ole Thestrup humiliate themselves with this dumb script and dialog.

And the boy-meets-girl theme is so flat trodden that it competes with the one-liners to kill the film. Your stomach turns when the sticky piano theme spells out the point.

Danish film magic reaches high levels in Flickering Lights, Rembrandt, The Green Butchers, Adams Apples using much the same actors. Use your precious time on those masterpieces. The Black Madonna is an embarrassment in comparison.