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A Second Chance

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A Second Chance (2014)

September. 08,2014
|
6.8
| Drama Thriller
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Detectives and best friends Andreas and Simon lead vastly different lives; Andreas has settled down with his beautiful wife and son; while Simon, recently divorced, spends most of his waking hours getting drunk at the local strip club. But all that changes when the two of them are called out to a domestic dispute between a junkie couple, caught in a vicious cycle of violence and drugs. It all looks very routine – until Andreas finds the couple's infant son, crying in a closet. The usually collected policeman finds himself confronted with his own powerlessness and is shaken to his core. As Andreas slowly loses his grip on justice, it suddenly becomes up to the unruly Simon to restore the balance between right and wrong.

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Reviews

Chirphymium
2014/09/08

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

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StyleSk8r
2014/09/09

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

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Arianna Moses
2014/09/10

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

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Mandeep Tyson
2014/09/11

The acting in this movie is really good.

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lornespry-72116
2014/09/12

I think this is a very good film, but I can understand how it struck negative chords with kevjfarrell (see the above review). There is a pedestrian quality about the plot. In some places we can almost imagine the filming of a scene. Transitions are seamless, but they have a seemingly manufactured quality about them. Perhaps it is all a matter of a frame of mind. Perhaps I am tired of guns, noise, furious action and the hyperventilating in today's popular entertainment. So I just let myself go and became immersed in the drama. I disagree with Mr Farrell in regards to the acting. Far from seeing it as sophomoric posturing for entry into film school, I found it natural, gripping and well-paced. In a word, realistic.I have noted that photography has not been mentioned in the above reviews. The camera is very much a part of this film. The cinematography contains a full pallet of colour and texture with intriguing, grainless resolution and depth of field. Scenes shift between chromatic hues to almost monochrome where light and shadow replace contrasting colour. You are neither jarred nor bullied by these changes. There is a gentleness, which is complimentary to the subject.The argument in the film is staged by gentleness vs violence, understanding and compassion vs reactive predilection. It is difficult to rate this film on a purely technical level. It could be rated less than my 8, and it could be rated more highly. I'll settle on 8 and just say that I am very glad I watched this film, and I hope to watch it again. I recommend the Danish version with subtitles.

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Bantam
2014/09/13

If you've seen Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau in Game of Thrones you haven't seen anything. As an actor this guy is, IMO, totally underrated. Also, Nikolaj Lie Kaas does a superb job.The movie centers around two guys (played by the both before mentioned actors), both fathers of new-borns. One is a cop, the other a junkie.I will not go into the details of the story, otherwise it might ruin the fun. But it revolves around those two toddlers, Alexander and Sofus. The story has some devious twists and turns and the conclusions is rather disturbing. However, the acting is, across the board, neigh perfect. The emotions and the desperation flow freely. I was rather impressed. I highly recommend a subbed version, since in this case a dubbing will ruin a lot. I tired it, but I liked the subbed version much more.It is rather astonishing how the Scandinavian movie makers manage to forge such good movies, while others (I am not looking at anyone ;) ) just manage to produce part IV of the same stuff, being afraid of anything slightly new. Let's do another romantic comedy, why don't you?Tired of SFX powered no-story junk? The next installment of a funny romance that has nothing to do with reality? Don't wanna see another superhero beating up hapless citizens?If you at least said one "yes", go watch this - NOW!

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Sindre Kaspersen
2014/09/14

Danish screenwriter, producer and director Susanne Bier's fourteenth feature film which she co-wrote with Danish screenwriter and director Anders Thomas Jensen after their story, premiered in the Special Presentations section at the 39th Toronto International Film Festival in 2014, was screened in the Official Selection section at the 62nd San Sebastián International Film Festival in 2014, was shot on locations in Denmark and is a Denmark-Sweden co-production which was produced by producer Sisse Graum Jørgensen. It tells the story about a police officer named Andreas Juhl.Distinctly and subtly directed by Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier, this quietly paced fictional tale which is narrated interchangeably from the main characters' viewpoints, draws an immediately gripping portrayal of a police case and the parallel lives of those involved. While notable for its atmospheric milieu depictions and reverent cinematography by cinematographer Michael Keith Snyman, this character-driven and narrative-driven story about Scandinavian values and conventional views on fatherhood and motherhood, depicts multiple perspicacious studies of character and contains a great and timely score by composer Johan Söderqvist.This dramatically realistic and increasingly heartrending character piece which is set in Denmark in the 21st century and where trauma instigates heartfelt actions which surpasses moral boundaries and a father and husband is brutally confronted with circumstantial events which provokes intuitive reactions, is impelled and reinforced by its cogent narrative structure, substantial character development, rhythmic continuity, self-explanatory scenes of a human being named Sofus and the invaluable acting performances by Danish actors Nikolaj Coaster-Waldau, Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Norwegian actress Maria Bonnevie. A radically humane narrative feature.

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kevjfarrell
2014/09/15

Firstly, I found the storyline pretty ridiculous. As much as I tried, I couldn't get my head past that stumbling block. I felt the screenplay was weak and the acting straight out of first year drama school. The characters and their lines and reactions just didn't add up. I was the only person in the theater - but that was 10.30 on a Sunday nite. In my opinion, this was only fit for TV not a movie house. It was instantly forgettable. I suppose they could put it on long haul flights. I really would like to be more complimentary - I was in the mood for a hard hitting and gripping drama, but sadly this missed the mark. Watch it on Netflix or when it comes round on TV. To me, this was written by a 16 year old as a piece to get themselves into some kind of movie school. Sorry.

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