Arme Riddere

A film that starts hilariously funny, with some fabulous lines between Kyrre Hellum and Henrik Mested( the picks of the cast) and though it quite never maintains that level, it sustains enough interest through the various bloody twists of its one hour 25 duration( this feels about the right running time).

I was looking forward to Arme Riddere, told it was a crime story told in a Tarantino/Coen-stylish way. And it's good, though maybe not as funny as I thought it wood be. Still this is good entertainment, and well acted, and the story, based on a manuscript by Jo Nesbø, also has it's great outline. The filming technique is also well done.

Well, what happens? Terrified and bloody, Oscar Svendsen awakes clinched to a shotgun in a strippers joint. Around him 8 dead men, and police aiming at him. To Oscar it's clear that he is innocent. It all started when four chaps won 1,7 million on the pools...

The film starts off with meeting the main characters, Oscar and the detective, slowly starting to believe Oscars' story about him and his three criminal friends.

I goes wrong from the start. And is it really a good idea playing the pools which three inmates trying to get back in real life? Of course not. And from ten on the story gets bloody. Too bloody for Norways' biggest newspaper, which said it was impossible to review. It's not, and this statement is just silly. As most other Norwegian reviewers have stated later on.

This is hardly a comedy, though there are some good laughs tucked in the story. The story is sick and twisted, but not worse that it could actually have happened in that kind of wrong environment.

Arme Riddere is good fun, but lacks the quality of a classic. May this is because it's not drawing the line completely out. Tt's not really a crime story, not really a comedy, a.s.o. But if you're not afraid of some gore, I think you'll have a really good time watching this.

The movie has a simple premise and you have to buy into that. If you do, you will enjoy a nice little thriller, that is quite explicit in some regards (concerning the violence). The original author became very popular (outside his own country that is) with "Headhunters" (intl. title) and this is another one of his stories done for the big screen. It works though it's not as good as the other one.

Not all twists and turns seem to make sense overall, but you won't mind if just watch it to be entertained. The structure of the movie is build with flashbacks and will be something you have to be able to endure. But the smallest joke that come within the situation help lighten the mood too.

Based on a story by renowned crime writer Jo Nesbø, Jackpot stars Kyrre Hellum as Oscar, who awakes clutching a shotgun on the floor of a strip joint strewn with dead bodies and swarming with police officers. Taken for questioning by hard-nosed cop Solør (Henrik Mestad), Oscar recounts the unlikely events leading up to this point, starting with him winning a share of a 1.7m krone prize in a betting pool. But is Oscar telling the truth or spinning a wild yarn?

This was a blind buy from Poundland, and while I wouldn't exactly say that I hit the jackpot with my gamble, I don't regret spending my hard-earned cash on the DVD (all £1 of it!). Director Magnus Martens handles the darkly humorous tale of crime, treachery and murder with confidence, his cast put in solid performances, and there is plenty of grisly violence to keep fans of gritty crime capers satisfied for the duration. Where the film falls down slightly is in its narrative, which, despite plenty of twists and turns, isn't quite as clever or as deranged as it is clearly intended to be—certainly not on a par with the absurdist work of The Coen Brothers, as the DVD cover states.

6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

Other reviewers have outlined the story quite well so I'll keep this short. This film is very entertaining and very funny. Of course that depends on what you find funny. Almost all the humour is so called black comedy. Some people might find the comedic scenes distasteful but they made me laugh out loud and that's because, although gory, they are somewhat cartoonish. The script is tight and flows nicely although the film could have been 15 - 20 minutes longer. The ending feels a little rushed and is not as satisfying as it could have been. These are small quibbles and overall I would heartily recommend the film both for the thriller and comedic aspects.