A family favorite and just plain fun. Olsen Banden ser Rødt is one of the best in the franchise and entertains from start to finish. It can seem a bit in east and west at times, but it still keeps a strong red thread throughout and the humor and especially one sequence is great.
After once again getting out of jail Egon Olsen is ready with a new plan. His going to steal a vase for a rich lord with help from his gang, Kjeld and Benny. The deal with the lord goes south, and Olsen is now set on revenge.
This has some connection to me in ways that can make the significance of the movie seem biased. A repetitive gag of this series of movies, is that a lot of the lines and beats are the exact same from previous movies. It connects to the mundane and how nothing is ever going to change. It could also be seen as laziness, and I respect that view too. What I´m trying to say is don´t watch the franchise as a marathon, I think you would go crazy. But it´s a franchise I share with my family and that´s why it means a lot to me. While I actually think it´s generally funny and has some good moments, it´s in no way a masterpiece and, as mentioned, draws from previous movies for recurring jokes.
The movie has a great heart and some good humor. The jokes really land and it´s carried by the fun and campy performances. It´s no masterclass in acting at all, but these people just embody these roles and the over the top acting seem like how the characters should be. It´s a fun and over the top world, like a live action cartoon, and that´s why it works.
As always the main trio dose a great acting job as well as Kirsten Walther as Yvonne, but the real star as always is Ove Sprogøe as Egon Olsen. He just brings so much personality to the character trough his line delivery, face acting and body acting.
The idea of this movie feels like they had a list of ideas for scenes and just melted them together. It can feel like a really fragmented movie, where the first set piece doesn't match the latter. But there is a red thread that connect the events and I think it works. A common thread used by the Olsen Banden movies are the small guy vs the big guy. It´s obvious here how Olsen now has a chance to work for the big guy, but after he ruins their deal, it´s now time to take the battle to them. Revenge, ups and downs and a climactic ending keeps you entertained from start to finish.
The most iconic sequence is toward the end at the Danish royal theater. A great combination of stunts, timing, music and tension creates an iconic sequence in Danish film history.
This is just a good fun movie. Don´t go in expect to see anything life changing and especially not if you have seen other movies in the franchise. But this one just goes that little extra mile to add a bit more and push it´s own limits in a series with very limited effort at times. It´s fun and iconic.
