Nokas

The NOKAS robbery was a huge thing here in Norway. It was historical, stuff like this very rarely happens in our rather big, but people-empty little strip of land. It was a real talker, on the news and in the newspapers for a long time.

Anyhow, after the world controversy had died down and most of the crooks were in prison, the movie about it all came out.

Now, this is not a bad movie. Considering it's Norwegian it is rather good. But it never crosses the line into real good territory.

Most of the actors aren't big names, or really famous at all, and that works pretty good in something like this, as you don't want to be too attached to the actors. They do a decent job, too.

It has some intense action, some cool shots, and it being true of course leave a little bit of an impact. But I do think it could have been a little more edgy, for it to come across as more dramatical. I don't know.

It's alright.

In 2004 eight men disguised as the police special forces (SWAT) attempted to rob the Nokas Cash Central in the city of Stavanger. The tragic result of this crime was the death of a police officer who was shot while being in his vehicle and mass-panic in the center of the small Norwegian town. The movie is set on location, adding to the realistic effect while it is shot with a hand-held camera which makes the film all the more suspenseful and full of tension.

We, as the audience, are watching the preparation of the heist, some hours before the actual event with the robbers making their final decisions and the police officers in the Stavanger Station being blissfully ignorant about what's about to happen. The actual robbery covers the entire second half of "Nokas" and is shot in a masterful way by the director Erik Skjoldbjærg ("Insomnia", "Okkupert"). The actors' performances are all great, even though the nature of this film doesn't offer many opportunities to exhibit acting skills. The director states the real facts about the consequences of this crime in the end and it amazed me that 51 of the 57 in total Kroner that was stolen were never found. If you are a true crime fanatic, this is a film not to miss and the same is true for all Nordic Noir fans who are tired by fictional stories and want to watch something else.

Nokas is a a paradox that works. This careful reconstruction of Norway's biggest ever robbery avoids all sense of cliché - and opts for one of the better directorial decision seen in a crime / heist movie. No drama, no screaming villains or pretty girls, this is a superbly researched semi-documentary that simple records a five hour period in minutiae - yet it is tense, involving, and probably the best recreation of a bank robbery I have seen.

The Nordic style of speaking and manner is captured well - no-one "acts" they simply are, and here we get almost no character development - it's straight-up storytelling, using a lot of mid-shoulder mid-close and close-ups - it is well shot. The camera work etc; fits this well - it never feels amateurish.

Considering how iconic this real event was - in a country where bank robbery is extremely rare - they could have over-glamourised and made a Nordic Heat; by avoiding that trap they had made cinema, a film's film, and one where integrity respects the events but never loses the sense of adrenalin.

Good film-making all round.

Like you are an invisible spectator in all the situations. I felt "involved" from the 1st to the last scene. Not over dramatized.

Nokas -robbery in stavanger centrum in the easter week of 2004 are the largest cash robbery commited in norwegian history, about 7.5 million dollars in norwegian kroner were stolen. this film is a nervewrekingly made drama that unfolded in the ,for me, well known and very public area of the city near stavanger cathedral church.

i saw this film when screened in the theaters, and i must admit that i was bitten by the negative feeling and criticism by making a film that nearly glorified the criminals. what i see now is that the film has an equal glorification of the desperate actions made by the police, who were entraped and passified by the looters and the holyday season of easter. i do also see that itb took the virginity of safe banking in norway , and must also admit that the criminals were daredevilish when committing this robbery

the film product are among the very few heist films that really makes me feel like hanging in a tread, good filming,informative timeline, great acting,and extremely well made sound product. do have in mind the vast negativism by the citizens of stavanger,who had to go through all this again, there were large protest meeting and the political opinion wre vastly against the making of this film, because the film is shot on location, and therefore makes an even more vivid impression of the actions.

its 15 yrs since the nokas, the perputrators are beginning to be released from norwegian prisons these days, i still have this happening in my guts,the loss of a policeman, many wrecked soles among the nokas employees, and within the police , god bless all of them.

if you like heist movies ,do watch nokas, its pure robbery. recommended.