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Simply Perfect

i must have seen a different film!!

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Taking a look at a fellow IMDbers reviews,I was thrilled to stumble upon a Nordic Noir film that I have never heard of before,with one of the executive producers being auteur film maker Nicolas Winding Refn.With having been in the mood to watch a new movie from the Nordic Noir genre,I felt that it was the perfect time to join in the game.The plot-Iceland 1999:Arrested for assault, Stebbi is told by the cops that he could face 5 years in jail.Leaving the police station,Stebbi runs into Tóti,a childhood friend who he has not seen for years,and has heard is a major player in the Nordic underworld.Catching up with his old pal,Stebbi tells Tóti about the possible jail term hanging over his head.Knowing a good lawyer who will get all the charges dropped, Tóti offers the lawyers number,in exchange for Stebbi doing a favour. Terrified of spending the next 5 years behind bars,Stebbi accepts the deal.Getting dropped off outside a major drug dealers flat,Stebbi is told that he must go and find some hidden "chocolate bars." Looking round,Stebbi uncovers a huge amount of hash.As he gathers up the hash,the drug dealer arrives and catches Stebbi in the middle of his thieving. Withstanding the dealers punches,Stebbi starts to hit back,and begins to enjoy the adrenalin rush.Entering the flat, Tóti is amazed to discover that Stebbi has beaten the dealer to a bloody pulp.As they gather the drugs,Stebbi & Tóti set their sights on changing the Nordic underworld map.View on the film:Filmed after all the major banks in the country had gone bust,writer/director Óskar Thór Axelsson & cinematographer Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson open ever wound of Iceland to splatter a brittle Nordic Noir atmosphere across the screen,by making every building in the title look covered in charcoal,and the deep snow opening up the cold hearted brutality of the underworld characters.Digging into the minds of Stebbi & Tóti, Axelsson superbly dazzles ultra-stylised, over-lapping images across the screen,which pull the viewer into Stebbi and Tóti peak moments of heightened hedonism.Shooting Stefán Máni's true crime book on to the screen,the screenplay by Axelsson leaves any hint of a "journey/learning the error of their ways" at the blood-soaked door,thanks to Axelsson making the Nordic underworld run on Film Noir loners whose sole reasons for living are cold,hard drugs,cash & blood.Running at a trim 104 minutes, Axelsson slowly sinks Stebbi deeper and deeper into Tóti's merciless black tar,as Steebi's "favour" is revealed to be small fry,as he joins Toti in smashing up the old board of a ruthless game.

That's what this great movie reminded me of: An Islandic Goodfellas. A morality tale with a comparable "inner circle" of criminal drug-buddies that go through the rise and fall of their own empire.Stylish as hell, with again many moments that reminded me of Goodfellas and in a way the films of Guy Ritchie, but still with it's own originality and raw power. This combined with great acting all round, especially from the lead "Stebbi Psycho" who kind of keeps a somewhat naive innocence about him, compared to his mostly pretty psychotic buddies, makes this a highly entertaining and engaging watch. Indeed the beautiful Islandic backdrops that pass by frequently deserve to be mentioned as well. Makes a nice contrast to the greyish slightly dreary Reykjavik suburbs that the story takes place in.7/10

Black's Game is worth watching because there are a couple of twists without which it would be just another crime thriller.Apart from a few landmarks you won't see much of Iceland in the movie. This makes the setting more universal. And since there's a high probability you'll watch it dubbed in another language it might appear to be happening in any Scandinavian country.The classic story of a main protagonist meeting an old friend who leads him to life of crime is more plausible if you remember that they're both in a small community on a remote island with limited competition. Therefore the ascent to the top is swift but it would be a surprise if the authorities won't react accordingly fast...

I saw this film as part of the Rotterdam Film Festival 2012. Main features are the high quality acting and script. The story has an unmistakable drive, keeping your attention for the whole duration. What we see unroll is a typical growth path for a young criminal. He starts with something relatively innocent, moves on to something less benign, and just has to continue from then on while becoming more and more unable to leave the "circle".As a bonus we get a nice hint from the mentor-in-crime of our main character. When something unexpected happens, do the first thing that comes to mind, however strange it may be, and do it without any hesitation. He indeed acts on that rule a few times with success, especially in the final scene. How that last scene ends exactly, is deliberately left open by the film makers. I don't consider that to be a real problem, this being the only logical wrap-up for the story.The final Q&A revealed that the footage was shot last May, but that the editing only finished the Monday before the festival screening. Having a fixed deadline in the form of this festival, was definitely needed to arrive at the finished product we saw.