Directed by:
Hans Petter MolandScreenplay:
Kim Fupz AakesonCinematography:
Philip ØgaardComposer:
Halfdan E.Cast:
Stellan Skarsgård, Jorunn Kjellsby, Bjørn Floberg, Gard B. Eidsvold, Jannike Kruse, Bjørn Sundquist, Kjersti Holmen, Jon Øigarden, Jan Gunnar Røise (more)Plots(1)
Ulrik is reluctantly let out of prison after serving 12 years for murder. He has to cope with his gang, his ex, a few women - and a snitch. His son has a fiancé. Her family doesn't approve of murder. They have a nursery, they have principles. Ulrik is a somewhat gentle man. But how gentle can you be? ..and he's losing his hair. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (7)
Stellan Skarsgård is so filthy irresistible in the film, just like the entire conception and setting where the film takes place. His character's life is pretty boring, you probably wouldn't want to live it, but you can still see that he's actually happy because he doesn't want much. Just a job so he can have money and live. He succeeds at that. And a little more on top.
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I’d not watched any Scandinavian sound films, and then I saw A Somewhat Gentle Man. I indulged in a pre-premiere experience, which was very stimulating, and I went on a unique trip through Norway with Stellan Skarsgård. It was unique in that rather than the story, I paid more attention to the realities, which I compared with those of the Czech Republic. I was reminded of something from folk comedies of any provenance thanks to the frequent repetition of the same crude gags, but I was surprised that it could be done in the context of a more intelligent whole. Still, I'm not so overwhelmed by the new that I'm going to go down the path of seeing more "chilling humor and all sorts of characters."
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Though the characters and certain situations are funny with their dry Scandinavian humor, in the end A Somewhat Gentle Man is an easy-to-forget film with an overused plot and none of the poetic overlap (both in terms of its content and form) that makes similar stories special, such as those by Kaurismäki.
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When leaving prison, the guard advised to look ahead. Well, what if what’s behind you is right next to you, looking ahead with you? Built on many small details (the unnoticed enthusiasm of those around that he’s out, or Stellan Skarsgård's expression when the landlady first gives a panty signal and he realizes things are bad) and characters that are defined through them (from Hennie’s arms dealer who knows his commodity to Rolfe, the third guy in the back, reminiscent of Buscemi’s Donny from The Big Lebowski). It’s that Nordic caress against the grain that, in the hardest moment, transitions from rainy winter to sunny spring.
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The Norwegian filmmakers had quite a bit of fun with this one. I enjoy these essentially minimalist movies with such subtle humor that you almost pick it up subliminally. I won't hide the fact that I'm not fond of criminals, but there was something oddly likable about the murderer Ulrik to me. The truth is, his life of freedom was almost indistinguishable from serving a sentence (his apartment was only slightly messier than a cell). Stellan Skarsgard's portrayal of the not-so-talkative Ulrik was brilliant, and the rest of the cast didn't hold back either. If it had been just a tad more bizarre, I might have given it five stars. / Lesson learned: Don't speak like a machine gun, it could be too much for the heart.
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