Bloody Angels

This was actually the first Norweigan film I have ever seen, but I read the blurb under it's title and it sounded interesting. It was very interesting. It's the story of an Oslo cop, Nicholas Ramm(Reidar Sorenson) who goes to a town and is met with extreme resistence from the towns people when he tries to solve the murder of two people. The first, a young, Downs Syndrome child who had been brutally raped and murdered and a grown man found in a river. I felt his frustration as he tried to work through this resistance of the people to solve the murders and his friendship with a little boy that everyone picked on. It was a dark movie about how violence can lead to violence and how a group of people can band together to convict a person before a trial and take it out on his family. In the end, the towns people were right, but their vigilantism was wrong and led to the death of one more young person.

The movie was very easy to follow even though it was in Norwegian with English subtitles. I do recommend this movie, but I caution people too. There was very little overt violence in the movie. The majority of the film was intense verbal fighting between Ramm and the towns people as he met with their resistence. Though there is one scene that I would seriously caution the viewer on. Ramm finds a video cassette with the rape and murder of the child on it and watches it. Sorenson brought Ramm to tears as he watched it. It brought me to tears as well.

Clearly the Norwegian jury doesn't agree (read the other comments) but I think this Scandinavian take on David Lynch's TWIN PEAKS (hey, that's what they're marketing it as, so call me lazy, see if I care !) is one of the more startling cinematic experiences to come along in many a year. First time director Karin Julsrud didn't intend her fable of how violence can only breed more of the same to be taken as a documentary but as the idiosyncratic mix of drama, comedy and horror which led publicists to make the comparison in the first place. Unlike Lynch however, Julsrud doesn't let the viewers off the hook at film's end with a far-fetched supernatural conclusion but forces them to confront their own dark side by making some of the violent outbursts her film suggests (but rarely shows) seem 'righteous' at first, though that doesn't stop them from poisoning the close-knit society they sprang from. Opening with an atonal rendition of 'When the Saints Come Marching In', this spellbinding thriller charts the investigation led by big city cop Nicholas Ramm into the small town murders of a mentally retarded girl and one of the alleged perpetrators of that crime. To reveal more would take away much of the film's pleasures as well as shocks. Progressing thoughtfully, Julsrud has enlivened her narrative with such a wealth of telling details that you may need to see this one more than once. I for one welcome that prospect.

Is it the harsh, wintry climate that makes Norwegian small town people as callous as this film wants us to believe they are? I was wondering this at the beginning of Karin Julsrud's debut when we get to know the carefree and violent attitude of some of the younger citizens of the town. This is more and more obvious as the story unfolds: a detective from Oslo, sent in to help solve two connected murders, is first humiliated, then beaten without anyone lifting a finger to stop it. What bothered me was the pointlessness of it all. If one man can't defy a whole town, send in the troops, all right? But this film isn't about logic. The central theme is that of the young boy who is repeatedly being victimized. His continually changing relationship with the stranger -from curiously friendly to defiant and uncaring- is the main strength of the story. Unfortunately, it can not save the rambling nature of the script. It never seems to go anywhere and leaves one wondering what the film is actually supposed to be about. One mustn't be too severe, though. Many scenes are very powerful and I liked the moments of wry humor intermingled in the drama. What we have here, then, is a compelling but not entirely satisfying psychological thriller and another director to look out for.

The film follows the traditional storyline: big city detective Nicholas Ramm in a small town, trying to solve a horrendous crime, dealing with the townspeople who want to take care of the problem themselves. Vigilante justice is explored in detail and it is obvious what side the filmmaker, Karin Julsrud, is on. It was easy for me to side with Julsrud's outrage. I was a bit worried with the red herrings coming true, making the film a little too convenient but thankfully they didn't. When the twist comes, it is unexpected but (and this is a big but), I think Julsrud paints herself in a corner. Ramm's actions at this point are a little out of character and seem to be more of a way to clean things up. In this day of extensive media coverage of awful crimes, emotions are often manipulated and I thank this movie for making me more aware of how easy this is but as a film, I can't say it was a success.

Not much I can say. I agree that this is probably not exactly realistic especially it being taken place in a small town in a peaceful country like Norway. However, we all should know, its ONLY A MOVIE. It has a tragic and sad story to it, and not only that, some disturbing scenes. However, overall, this is still a great thriller that is worth a watch! It was put together quite well. I'm quite shocked after watching the film, yet also impressed.

9/10