Friday, May 17, 2013
CRIME DOES NOT PAY
Today's film was the Swedish crime thriller
Pedal to the metal. An MBA student, too smart for his own good, passes for a higher society guy. He is actually a boy from the provinces. Who keeps photos of professional models in his dorm room to emulate the high style.
On the other hand, he has a job as a limo driver which leads to being a dealer and doer of other small chores that will make him enough cash to keep himself in clothes. And in the high life. Joel Kinnamon. Hot.
He is "asked" by the limo boss to pick up a guy who, it turns out, has just escaped from prison. A lot of bucks to do that. He and the escapee become buddies.
Then one thing leads to another and he is in deeper than he expected but still being a hustler with the gang. Not a good idea.
He uses his knowledge of the banking business to promote a money laundering scheme. Somehow he ends up on the wrong end of some intergang warfare as well as another scheme to rip the "good guys" off.
There is a lot going on here and it moves very quickly.
It is interesting that there is not one good guy in this film. No cop, no hero.
Have you noticed that the new really bad guys are the Serbians? Yes. They will fucking eat you up.
This film is not for everyone as it is the kind of film that requires you to take a side. This is done very cleverly.
The guy, the smart guy, is so sleekly handsome that he squeaks. We, I did, fall under his thrall just as a lot of people do. But there are other characters to feel for too. The escapee / buddy and another guy who has a little girl and has to kind of take her along for the meets required to do the crime thing.
I admire the film a great deal. In the beginning it is genuinely confusing but, eventually, the three guys we want to kinda sorta get away with it, emerge and we are on our way.
This is good enough that that the Hollywood bastards are going to make an American version. With Zach Efron. Good luck.
I would not mind seeing this again so it is a 4 out of Netflix 5. I would definitely want to find another film where Joel Kinnamon is playing. Just to watch him.
This particular film is one of three to be produced under the title of Swedish Noir. I await the next one.
Labels: films
