Acclaimed Norwegian film maker Arne Skouen's fourth feature film, "Fire in the night" is undoubtedly also one of his best, and should be the first of his films to draw attention to people not seen by the society. The film about a out-washed middle aged journalist, Tim Ruud, which is also a pyromaniac at night is a film which takes the former journalist and writer Skouen back to his own background.
Early on, right from the start, there's no doubt that the old, former top journalist is ill. He tries to grab social acceptance and attention, without succeeding. He is so far gone as a productive writer that no one wants to spend time with him. He lights fires at night as a need for both warmth and attention, and gives enough of hints that he is both sick and a criminal, though without any reactions. The paper he is working in, is writing about the fires and the arsonist every night.
Fellow journalist Cleas Gill plays the main role as Tim brilliantly. He manages to completely steal the screen, something Skouen also was very happy with. The attention seeking lonely man and quite crazy man is both tragic and scary. Still having the sympathy of all the old working colleagues in the newspaper, except the new guy, Tollef Lie, which thinks he is lazy and useless. He is on to him. So is social working psychiatric Margreth, wonderfully played by Elisabeth Bang.
It's a dark drama which displays as a thriller, though the film is just as likely to be a social commentary from Skouen, like he later did with so many of his films. The film is right on, without any fuzz. The film is both exciting as well as classic in the thriller up-build.
I think this is Skouen's most enjoyable film. Not only due to the fascinating story, which is exciting and entertaining, but also to the acting.
Skouen was really recognized both by a wast audience of cinema goes as well as in the professional milieu, not at least internationally. This film was the third of Skouen's films which was featured in the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival, the year after his "Circus Fandango" and three years after "Nødlanding" (Emergency landing). Three years later he was chosen for the fourth time for the Cannes main programme, with "Ni liv" ("Nine lives"), which also was nominated for Oscar.
