Inkasso

Poor Guy Ritchie wannabe tells the thin story of gambling addict Laura (Hjejle, in an annoying one-note performance) hooking up with hard-nosed debt collector Claus (Bodnia, a bit more softhearted than usual, but on autopilot most of the time - he should definitely resume working with better directors). Spang Olsen's direction is less incompetent than usual, but with the emphasis less on action this time, the film also suffers from many dull stretches. Nikolaj Peyk's supposedly "authentic" dialog is simply not funny. A bunch of good actors are wasted in bit parts (Erik Clausen in particular) and a highly inappropriate soundtrack, as another user mentioned, make for an unimpressive movie.

This is a lighthearted romantic comedy, not to be taken too seriously, nor an impressive film by any stretch. There's nothing here that you won't find in a hundred other, probably better, boy meets girl comedies.

However, if you're a fan of Kim Bodnia, and want to see him stretch, just a bit, the tough-guy role that he's developed in "I Kina spiser de hunde", "Gamle mænd i nye biler" and "Den gode strømer" then Inkasso will be worth your time.

The storyline - small-time gangster with money problems and big dreams bumps into big-time gambler (Iben Hjejle) with money problems, marriage problems and just overall problems. Of course, you can't have a romantic comedy without the romance, so you know what's coming next. The script by itself won't carry the movie. Kim Bodnia and Iben Hjejle will.

If you've seen a few of Kim Bodnia's recent films then you're familiar with the street-wise, hood image he's created. He's mastered the role and is always fun to watch. Here we get a twist. Same gangster, same tough guy, but with a weakness, a little extra dimension to his personality. He's insecure around women, not sure of himself, not always on top of things. He's a tough guy who wants something else from life. A cliché? You bet, but watch how Kim Bodnia pulls that dimension into his character. His acting, and the chemistry he creates with Iben Hjejle, is what makes the movie.

What, by all other measures, is a mediocre movie and a throwaway script is made thoroughly enjoyable by the performances of Kim Bodnia and Iben Hjejle. If you're a fan of either of their earlier work then Inkasso should entertain you.

The theme for this movie is quite similar to much from the same genre of danish films. But this one is probably the worst one of the lot! Movies like 'Gamle mænd i nye biler' (Old Men in New Cars), 'I Kina spiser de hunde' (In China They Eat Dogs) and 'Blinkende lygter' (Flickering Lights) are light years ahead in every aspect. This movie is a sad production which could have been made much better. One can't help wondering about that soundtrack from the HORRIBLE Swedish singer Lisa Nilsson - was her record label the only (or should we call it rightfully lonely) sponsor of this flick?!? No wonder people turn to piracy and download instead of purchase DVDs. Movies like these makes you never want to spend another cent on the corrupt Scandinavian movie industry! Get real!!

An ultra-generous 3/10 because of Bodnias acting.

"Inkasso" is in many ways a logical extension of "I Kina Spiser De Hunde" and "Gamle Mænd I Nye Biler", both of which were quite fun and entertaining. "Inkasso" falls short, however, because the story is straighter (i.e. less absurd and therefore less funny), trying but failing to feel more real. The acting is not top-notch, although some performances are good, and the dialog in particular is unconvincing - a great problem in contemporary Danish cinema, TV and music generally. The Danish language has deteriorated, partly because of the vast influence of English-language culture which means that people don't really bother with proper Danish anymore, and this is being felt everywhere in Danish media of every kind. I don't really care that much about the preservation of the Danish language (I find English superior), but using it really poorly is still grating. They should do the movies in English instead, which would also open up a much larger market for them.

Anyway, Kim Bodnia is as good as can be expected in this movie, whereas I wasn't that impressed with Iben Hjejle, who's been better in just about everything else I've seen her in. Ole Ernst was very convincing in his role, and Allan Olsen was fairly good, too. But overall the movie was slightly boring and never really got off the ground.

5 out of 10.