Black's Game

That's what this great movie reminded me of: An Islandic Goodfellas. A morality tale with a comparable "inner circle" of criminal drug-buddies that go through the rise and fall of their own empire.

Stylish as hell, with again many moments that reminded me of Goodfellas and in a way the films of Guy Ritchie, but still with it's own originality and raw power. This combined with great acting all round, especially from the lead "Stebbi Psycho" who kind of keeps a somewhat naive innocence about him, compared to his mostly pretty psychotic buddies, makes this a highly entertaining and engaging watch.

Indeed the beautiful Islandic backdrops that pass by frequently deserve to be mentioned as well. Makes a nice contrast to the greyish slightly dreary Reykjavik suburbs that the story takes place in.

7/10

It was entertaining to see gangs and crime and how they act, this subject is interesting. Maybe too much hanky panky that don't add to the plot. However, that scene with the villain and Stebbi made me hope that Stebbi could get rid of him... he didn't and that scene is so heartbreaking. I wanted to hug him and I hoped for justice, that didn't happen either. He didn't tell anyone, he at least followed his friend's advice to fight in the craziest moment. But it isn't even clear what happened - at least for me because I didn't pay attention to the details.

So the movie manages to be entertaining and emotionally touching but has its flaws.

In spite of its smallness and remoteness, Iceland has lively and notable film industry, with several remakes made in Hollywood and world-famous actors included. This century has seen the development of thrillers, often based on real events - in the line of other Nordic countries. Svartur á leik is a fine example of them: realistic plot and characters, twists in the scenario, witty ending... Well, unlike in Hollywood films, there are no constant chases, shootings and explosions, characters are not dealing with thoughtful sayings and not escaping in the very final moment... Nevertheless, there is a kind of Nordic style, splendidly complemented by nature scenes and club milieu. The actors and scene feed may seem a bit torpid, but so the Nordic people are...

Recommended to all those fond of Nordic crime films, and not thinking of Iceland as an idyllic and static country - international crime and addictions have reached this distant and thinly populated island as well...

After having watched the entire movie from beginning to end, I still don't have a clue why it's called "Black's Game" as no one in it was nicknamed "Black". Nevertheless, it did show a gritty side of Reykjavik that no travelogue would ever reveal. Yes, for this kind of film, there is an excess of sex, drugs and rock & roll, but that's to be expected. And lest the gore hounds are disappointed, a lot of brutal violence, too. The ending was grossly abrupt, something I'm sure most viewers would complain about. I know I did. Not a bad film, all and all.

The drug dealing underworld is the focus here, set in Iceland, with a group of very unseemly individuals, fueled by cocaine and large quantities of alcohol and loud music in one too many night club scenes. We get bad cops and criminals and mediocre acting with an apparently bad English dub in the version I watched. A guy nicknamed Psycho is lured into the drug trade by the big money to be made and he hooks up with a childhood friend in many law breaking activities, including a funny bank robbery. Along the way there is a homosexual rape, and some bloody violence. The pace is rapid, but by the time it finally ended, I really did not care what happened to anyone involved, because no one portrayed had any redeeming qualities. A very average entry into the crime genre.