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How entertaining? ★★★★☆
Thought provoking? ★☆☆☆☆ 9 August 2012
This article is a review of JACKPOT. |
“Four nouveau riche apes sitting in a room,” Police Detective Solør
Scandinavian crime thrillers have been washing up on our shores ever since THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO novels exploded into our pop consciousness. We’ve had the likes of THE KILLING and HEADHUNTERS. And now also from the Jo Nesbø stable, JACKPOT, a gory comedy caper in the vein of an early Guy Ritchie. The narrative is structured in two timelines: an interrogation and investigation of multiple fatalities, while flashbacks piece together this aftermath. The touchpaper is a shooting in a seedy sex shop/lap dance emporium. The prime suspect is the dopey Oscar Svendson, questioned by odd-bod Solør – typical of the whole experience, quirky characteristics instead of decent characterisation. As a vacuously entertaining little ride, that’s unobjectionable, but it means JACKPOT doesn’t stay with you.
Scandinavian crime thrillers have been washing up on our shores ever since THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO novels exploded into our pop consciousness. We’ve had the likes of THE KILLING and HEADHUNTERS. And now also from the Jo Nesbø stable, JACKPOT, a gory comedy caper in the vein of an early Guy Ritchie. The narrative is structured in two timelines: an interrogation and investigation of multiple fatalities, while flashbacks piece together this aftermath. The touchpaper is a shooting in a seedy sex shop/lap dance emporium. The prime suspect is the dopey Oscar Svendson, questioned by odd-bod Solør – typical of the whole experience, quirky characteristics instead of decent characterisation. As a vacuously entertaining little ride, that’s unobjectionable, but it means JACKPOT doesn’t stay with you.
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Oscar works at a factory employing ex-cons, giving them a second chance. For worse or for better, the filmmakers aren’t woolly liberals, the crims are portrayed universally as douches. None respect their supervisor Oscar. Three of them decide to go in for a sure-thing gambling football formula. They need their foreman to put up the stake and place it. He alters the bet at the last minute thanks to the advice of a lovely barmaid he has a crush on. The four of them win 1.7million kroner. Carnage ensues.
JACKPOT is on the mild end of sado-comedy, but the squeamish beware – bodies get fed into a wood-chipping-style machine, and nail-guns are used less than professionally. For those that find such funny, when done cheekily as here, will get a kick out of the black humour. Think the bit in PULP FICTION when John Travolta accidentally shoots that guy in the head in the car, we have that kind of mayhem throughout the runtime. Not as inventive as it should’ve been though, but many amoral chuckles are squeezed out.
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