This 2 part series from Sweden was a surprising little gem. Very clever story telling choice. Reminiscent of Guy Ritchie's "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" in the way the various characters converge toward the end.
An interesting look at Sweden's immigrant population and the corruption that big cities are victims of. This series deserves to be seen by a larger audience.
4 Reviews
Good character development, weak story line
jmw11108517 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I liked the array of different characters in the show and they were well performed. Aliette Opheim does a great job, as do the other actors. The story line was interesting, entertaining, and believable until the end. The ending begs the question, "Why did Sebbe and Laila need to go to all that trouble allowing Sebbe to get caught by the police in the beginning? At that point they could have split to Morocco.
Further, imagine that the female cop doesn't stop the elevator? Game over. No, the incredulous surprise ending doesn't work.
Further, imagine that the female cop doesn't stop the elevator? Game over. No, the incredulous surprise ending doesn't work.
Predictable in some ways, implausible in others
altereggo12321 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Comparisons with Guy Ritchie films are apt, except that this film lacks the energy, music and humor. It's much choppier, and not all of the incoherence seems intentional. But it's really a rip-off of The Usual Suspects, and I think most people will recognize "Keyser Sose" almost immediately.
There's also a pretentious political message, explicit in the opening credits- that plutocrats run everything and abuse the "dogs" of society, especially immigrants. Except that the "plutocrats" here are a bunch of gangsters, an inept banker and a corrupt real estate developer, and they abuse each other as well as those beneath them. Not a very convincing indictment of society.
In the final scene, the explanation that the two embezzlers did it all so they could embark on a Robin Hood-like distribution of their take, and that theirs is the only way, is a childish afterthought.
There's also a pretentious political message, explicit in the opening credits- that plutocrats run everything and abuse the "dogs" of society, especially immigrants. Except that the "plutocrats" here are a bunch of gangsters, an inept banker and a corrupt real estate developer, and they abuse each other as well as those beneath them. Not a very convincing indictment of society.
In the final scene, the explanation that the two embezzlers did it all so they could embark on a Robin Hood-like distribution of their take, and that theirs is the only way, is a childish afterthought.
Washed out look and story
cryconscry11 May 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Sometimes washing out the color in a film's imaging can age impact to the story and setting, but that is often when shot selections and the environments photographed contribute as well - not so here. As for the story, it seems that 2/3 of the story was also washed out and tiresome, and things only picked up in the final hour of this 3 hour movie. There's a touch of The Usual Suspects idea going on here, but it is awkwardly tacked on at the end as a means to make up for wasting 3 hours of your life. Pass.
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