Norwegian deadpan comedy directed by Hans Petter Moland and starring Stellan Skarsgard as a mob hitman recently paroled from prison after serving twelve years for murdering the man who screwed his then-wife. What really struck me about this was how economic it was. Some scenes seem to end right in the middle, Moland cuts to the next one where another director would let it play out. Save for the half dozen or so sex scenes, which (purposely) seem to last forever...this has some of the most unappetizing (and hilarious) sex scenes ever put in a film. There are nice details everywhere, for instance, one scene where Skarsgard and his old bosses go buy a gun illustrates how out-of-touch and irrelevant they've become; They are entering a neighborhood that twelve years ago used to be a rough one, and are surprised to see expensive cars parked everywhere. Just a small moment like Skarsgard noticing a few holes in the upholstery of his boss's Mercedes illustrates what another filmmaker would take pages of dialog to put across. Skarsgard has never been better. He conveys so much with his face and eyes, while actually doing very little. Come to think of it, the whole cast is excellent. A big little movie.
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