Reykjavik-Rotterdam (2008)

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

2012:Reading reviews about the 2012 Action movie Contraband,I was surprised to find out that the flick was a remake of a 2008 Nordic Noir title.Taking a look for the film,I was disappointed to find no English Subtitles DVD edition around.December 2015:With Christmas coming up in a few days I decided to go to a £1 shop to pick up some last items,and I was surprised to find dozens of DVDs of the original Contraband!,which led to me deciding that it was finally time to purchase some contraband.The plot:Getting out of jail after once again being caught selling black market alcohol, Kristófer promises his wife Íris and their kids that he will "go straight" in his new job as a security guard.A few days into his new job, Kristófer gets a call from Íris's brother Arnór,who tells Kristófer that underworld gangsters are after him,after he dumped a load of black market booze in the ocean,over fears that the cops were about to sniff it out.Despite being desperate to stay on the path, Kristófer cuts a deal with the gangsters,which will involve him joining Arnór to keep the next batch safe.Meeting with old friend Steingrímur, (who continues to secretly love Íris) Kristófer gets the chance to join Arnór on the boat.As Kristófer sets off for the contraband, Steingrímur sets off for Íris.View on the film:For Kristofer's failed attempt to go straight,co-writer/(along with Arnaldur Indriðason) director Óskar Jónasson & cinematographer Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson soak the film in light Nordic Noir blues which stylishly reveals Kristófer's blue collar roots.Sticking Kristófer on a ship for a good part of the film, Jónasson hits the sea with an anxious mood,as brilliantly held corner shots unlock the limited locations Kristofer has to hide the contraband and his murky Film Noir past.Kept to a lean 83 minute running time, (25 minutes shorter than the remake) the screenplay by Jónasson & Arnaldur Indriðason (who is also a superb Nordic Noir novelist) smartly keeps things evenly split between Kristófer and Íris,which creates an excellent friction in how they address enter the crime underworld,with Kristófer's desperate attempt to keep one foot in his family life being neatly counted by Íris unknowingly taking the rest of the family deeper into the ruthless Nordic Noir world. Delivering a somewhat up-beat ending which thankfully keeps the contraband out of the most lawful hands,the writers give Kristófer and Íris a fantastic kick into the Film Noir darkness,as Kristófer starts to fear that Íris life is about to become contraband.Going on to direct the US remake, Baltasar Kormákur gives a great performance as Kristófer,thanks to Kormákur's firmly gripping Kristófer's humble roots whilst also bringing his sharp Film Noir loner skills back out of the shadows.As Kristófer tries to keep his dealings undercover,the very pretty Lilja Nótt Þórarinsdóttir gives Íris a sweet relaxed charm which becomes brittle,as Íris and the rest of the family find their hands covered in Kristófer's contraband.

I saw the Hollywood remake Contraband starring Marky Mark first. That film borrows every major plot point from this one, in slightly altered forms. And yet, the remake is a cartoon where nothing ever is at stake, whereas this film exhibits better logic of the characters and plot points. The dumb plot points (like the salt) are here too.That's not to say it is a realistic story. More like a lower key Guy Ritchie picture, a heist film with a heightened reality, some comedy and some improbable escapes for the protagonists. The main romantic relationship between Kristofer and Iris is given more time to feel real here but the script is fundamentally plot driven. Kristofer is far more in jeopardy here than in the remake with his active parole and money problems.I'm not sure this picture deserved its Oscar for Best Foreign Film but it was certainly a good foreign film for American audiences. So long as you aren't bothered by subtitles, anyone who likes a typical Hollywood crime movie will enjoy this one. Those after great foreign cinema with a very different tone should look elsewhere.

Reykavik-Rotterdam has its moments, and lead actor Baltasar Kormákur does a pretty good job of maintaining a continuity through the film ... but, to be honest, there's not a lot that's extraordinary here. There's virtually nothing new to this one; it's a rework of ex-con trying to make ends meet and being reeled back into crime, with the kicker of having to help a dumb brother-in-law who's in over his head. Then you have the scheming business owner looking to cut in on the ex- con's lady, and manipulating others to take the ex-con out of her life. (Sound like something you've seen before?) Frankly, Warner Brothers started making this film over-and-over with the birth of the talkies, and the only new angle is containerized shipping as the backdrop and cellphone ringtones as embedded clues.The cast is certainly fine, but they don't have much to work with as far as their characters. You don't get a sense of anything beyond a bunch of low-lifes aspiring to nothing more than than the continuation of their low-lifedom. And the comedic bits are somewhat shoehorned in for quick and unsatisfying relief -- except for the goofball gangster sequence in Rotterdam, which really didn't last long enough.It's not a bad movie at all, but it's not something that bears repeat viewing ... it's a spot of entertainment, but wound up in rather tired film clichés. And it's nowhere near the level of an Academy Award nomination for best foreign film.

When I looked up this film on IMDb to comment on it, I noticed that there is already talk of a remake with Mark Wahlberg. It doesn't surprise me that major studios would turn to this thriller, which depicts an unusual and interesting milieu and tells its story with great suspense, warmth and humor. Although, as an art historian, I cannot recommend the negligent treatment of a Jackson Pollock painting in this movie. It's kind of sad that the remake means that this Icelandic movie will not get the attention it deserves in other countries. The acting was excellent, the directing impeccable, and the story well-crafted with interesting characters.