The Middle Man

Hagen is a decent actor, but what does Hamer want to convey with this movie? So many things didn't make sense to me. Like, why is the story set in a Rust Belt town, in the middle of nowhere in the US, when it's not even shot in the US, but Canada, and the plot is loosely based on a Norwegian book called "Sluk?" There are plenty of depressing rusty old industrial towns in Scandinavia Hamer could use as a more efficient backdrop to this story. This backdrop would even better match the acting style of the Scandinavian actors, Nordic noir. All of them looked out of sorts in this Rust Belt town. I was not convinced the Scandinavian actors were American and/or had any real connection to the town, even though Hamer threw in a few family members and friends for the connection to seem real. Their accents were also all over the place, even though they tried to pull off an Appalachian dialect. Hamer could have closed this gap if he'd chosen a location closer to home. Nope. The movie fell flat for me and in the end I didn't care what happened to any of the characters. Sad. I really wanted to love this movie.

I was a bit skeptic to the film due to the "bad" score, but I liked the cast and was willing to give it a try. I am glad I did. This is one of those good films, with depth and very good acting. The scandinavian actors struggle some with sounding canadian/american, but it's not hurting the film.

I guess the negative reviews are from folks wanting something else, this is just a good movie.

I thought this was a Canadian movie since it has at least three Canadian actors, including the late, great Kenneth Welsh, but then there's a Sheriff and American flags, so evidently we're in the US, but then the credits have separate listings for crews in Germany, Denmark and Norway - it's baffling that this deliberately claustrophobic movie that all takes place in one small American town was shot in three European countries. The characterizations feel just as displaced, the relationships between characters are more muddled than complex, and the protagonist's arc isn't believable. It starts out engaging but I was disappointed.

All the way through you're waiting for it to be interesting. It never is. You keep wanting the 'quirkiness' to pay off. It never does. The storyline is both odd and predictable. It's like the filmmaker is trying to prove they're an 'artist' by making everything about the film awkward. Not so awkward that it would be notable, just awkward enough to try to be an 'art house' movie for people who hate art house movies.

The cinematography is excellent. The actors are excellent actors. The production design is impressive, if a bit on the nose at times. But the script and direction are just completely and utterly dull, directionless, and trying too hard to be cool.

It's the cinematic equivalent of one of those dudes at parties who quotes Camus and Satre but doesn't have anything to say for himself.

Indulgent. Irritating. Smiling smugly at you when you finally admit you just don't get it. Even though there is quite genuinely nothing to 'get' about this film.

"The Middle Man" is about Frank Farrelli (Pål Sverre Hagen) and his new job as his town's deliverer of bad news. Frank waits to tell the next of kin that an accident has happened, someone is in the hospital or a loved one has died. It's grim and surreal work, slow start but with a fantastic twist at the end! Excellent and very dry acting performances of Pål Sverre Hagen and the complete cast (mainly from Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Canada). The movie looks a bit lost in translation but then irony strikes. Frank's involvement in the accidents escalates! He even asks "What is an accident?" This will lead you to a chilling climax. This movie is not for everybody. But almost everybody can and will enjoy this slow-paced low-budget movie. Just be open to whatever is coming at you.