Cry in the Woods (2004)

Pretty Good

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Admirable film.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

The script takes liberties that are so hair raising that I have to assume this movie is a genre parody. (What genre? Uh, Nordic crime drama?) The action takes place in a region – somewhere in Norway - where there is a bank robbery every 50 years. And every 70 years a dangerous mental case escapes from the loony bin. And every 100 years there is a murder. In the movie it just happens that the three things happen the very same morning. And not only that. The escaped mental case happens to sit passively in the very bank at the very moment of the robbery (because of the air conditioning, as we learn later) – just after the murder was discovered and a chubby boy reported seeing him in the area of the crime. And not only that. The robber decides to take the mental case as a hostage. Please don't ask me why, nothing makes much sense here.Strange as it is, from there on it gets better – and I don't mean it ironically. The robber and the mental case flee through the woods and become friends - sort of - although the latter tries to bite off the nose of the former (friends of gore will not be disappointed). The two actors are really good - the chemistry works. And in this relationship lie the main elements of suspense of the whole story as it is not clear in what way the mental case is a mental case. There are moments in which the story turns into a kind of an ancient fairy story – and the whole imagery beautifully enhances this impression. The robber proposes that they go to Haiti together. He would open a bowling alley, the mental case, he suggests, could make a living as a dog trainer. These were the few traces of intentional humor I could detect. Later the robber somehow downsizes his aim to an escape to neighboring Sweden.Of course there is a cop. And of course he is divorced and has trouble with his ex, fact which the audience is not spared from. And not only that. He is Danish! That is a country far, far away from Norway. So he is a total stranger in the land of Ibsen and out of his depth. To tell the truth, I thought he rather looked like a mental case himself – but then: don't we all? It is a small wonder that the case more or less solves itself, despite the „help" of a brash woman psychiatrist (with whom he gets to the point of jointly rolling in the hay in the second half of the movie only). There is a kind of a surprise ending (again in terms of logic pretty mind boggling) that is not half bad. Political correctness abounds, of course. The dad ob the chubby boy is away on a peace keeping mission for the UN, ethnical Non-Norwegians are favorably placed in strategic places without much effect.I judge this a well crafted good bad movie. I am not a Scandinavian, and probably many regional inside jokes simply escaped me. This movie showed me that it is not always clear if I „read" a picture the way its makers wanted me to. But that's one of the fascinating qualities of the medium, isn't it? In any case, I had a good time with Den som frykter ulven.

"Den som frykter ulven" (Cry in the Woods, 2004) is further evidence that some of the best crime thrillers today come from Scandinavia. Just like the films about Beck or Wallander, Den som frykter ulven, directed by Erich Hörtnagl, could be put in the same category. Although it is a bit different with adding more of chilling elements; nightmares, illusions and hallucinations, that in this case are just as important as painting a picture of the Norwegian policemen in their work.Once again, we're on the trail of a killer. But this time it's not your standard killer hunt. Lars Bom ("Rejseholdet") plays the danish policeman Karsten working in Norway, although he's now abandoning his wife and kid, and moving back to Denmark. As his last case he gets a tricky one; not only does his personal demons hunt him but he's not exactly popular among his colleagues. Karsten happens to stumble on a bank robbery in progress. The bank robber Morgan (Stig Henrik Hoff, "Brent av frost") thought he was going to execute a perfect score, but unfortunately a hostage tags along. At the same time an elder woman is brutally murdered outside her house. The police suspects an escaped mental patient to be responsible for the killing, mainly because of what has happened in his childhood. The police find it to be a sure thing that the patient is the one they're after (a young boy says he witnessed the murder), it doesn't help that a psychiatrist tries to convince them that the patient Erkki (Kristoffer Joner, "Dark Woods") wouldn't be capable of committing a murder. The problem is that Erkki's personality hints otherwise. The psychiatrist Sara convinces Karsten of Erkki's innocence. The others just won't listen, especially Stefan (Aksel Hennie, "Jonny Vang") who's about to take over from Karsten as he moves to Denmark. What they don't know is that the the murder and robbery will combine, since Erkki is Morgan's hostage...It's refreshing that it's not your typical "who-did-it"-movie, and the different aspects that are added manage to enliven the story. The only negative thing is the bit slow middle part, but i guess it's necessary for the eventual build-up. And even if the ending doesn't take you totally by surprise, its still is a bold decision. It's not going to change the world in any way, but you will definitely enjoy good entertainment for about 98 minutes.The one who fears the Wolf, should not go into the Woods...**** (4 out of 5)

This is a good Norwegian movie I recommend more people to see. It's a pretty good thriller, and it kept me guessing until the very end. Kristoffer Joner makes a very believable neurotic mental patient(as usual). The Danish Lars Bom also does a good job of playing the cop on the edge. Stig Henrik does a decent job, cussing like only a northern Norwegian can. Aksel Hennie on the other hand does not come across like he should in scenes where he should be angry or sad. He always has that grin on his face, just like in Buddy. He has potential though. The pacing of the movie is very well done, very well shot by the cameraman too. Thumbs up!

After i saw this movie i immediately logged on to imdb.com to comment on it. But i couldn't find it. So i had to put in the info myself and now here it is :) (this is a proud moment) hehe. This movie features two of my favorite Norwegian actors, Kristoffer Joner and Aksel Hennie. This is a typical thriller in which there is committed a murder and you don't know who's responsible. I haven't seen a Norwegian movie like this before so i was positively surprised when the end credits came. Kristoffer Joner is of course extremely good as the mentally ill Erkki who escapes from a mental institution. I wont tell anymore else for fear of giving something away. I rate this movie 8/10