Black's Game (2013)

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

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.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

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.

Well,i,m not hip to this filmmaker,but i am hip to a good movie.I watch crime films,and action,and i know what i like.This film is way worth a watch.The copy i saw was dubbed to English,but its from Iceland ,or Norway(not too sure),but it does not matter,i watch movies ,from anywhere,in many languages,so i,m glad i could understand it.The visuals were great,and i liked the pace.The story was cool,and was based on true events i heard.The actors did a fine job,and the movie follows the main character thru a good story of choices,and crazy turn of events that get him deeper,and deeper in the crime syndicate he gets introduced to.A childhood friend helps him out of a jam,and thats where it all starts.I was pulled into the story right from the start.If your into crime,and action films,and don't care if it does not have a lot of trendy American actors,and just want to see a good movie,watch this one.i did,and was glad i did.

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.

After spending a night in the cells for a violent encounter, a young guy called Stebbi (Thor Kristjansson) bumps into an old school friend Tóti (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson). The latter is now a gangster and he invites Stebbi into his world. Things become more complicated, however, when they join forces with a psychotic gangster called Bruno (Damon Younger). They take over the territory of the old-guard and set up a complex drug trafficking system but things begin to spiral out of control.Pusher and Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn is the executive producer here. Black's Game is a film that does show his influence. It's a stylish crime-thriller with a prominent electronica soundtrack. It's based on a best-selling novel and it includes re-enactments of some real events. Set in the last days of the 20th century, its historical setting is intended to reflect the growth of the Icelandic crime underworld at the turn of the millennium. In many ways it's a fairly routine crime film, what really makes it distinctive is its Icelandic flavour. The dramatic landscape and the cultural details set this gangster flick apart from others. Otherwise it uses lots of stylistic touches now familiar to the genre like split-screen, slow motion and jump-cuts, although these are always quite welcome and they are well done here. As you might also expect for the genre, it is violent and disturbing at times too. But it also has space for a little sensuality as well, with the gorgeous María Birta, who plays coke-head Dagný, a very welcome presence indeed.Black's Game may not exactly break the mould but it's a very good crime-thriller nevertheless. If you enjoy the new wave of north European crime films, such as the recent Headhunters, then this one should offer you something too. It wraps the genre up in the unique ambiance that northern European films do.