ah_mann Reviews

Hot Target (1985)

A fine example of soft-core pornography

[3/10 · 15 December 2000]

Billed as a thriller in the spirit of "Body Heat", this film was only available on video in North America -- not surprising, since it is very thin on plot and very heavy on heavy breathing. Loaded with gratuitous nudity, Hot Target will appeal to anyone who is looking for titillation. The American cat-burglar, like the rest of the film's characters, is laughable; there is actually a little bit of entertainment value in the stunningly horrid dialogue. You need only look at the filmography of the cast members to see what a fabulous piece of work can do to a life in film - like, say, end it.

Basically, it's 100 minutes of horizontal jogging under the flimsiest pretenses - great, if you like that sort of thing. If you were looking for a thriller "in the spirit of 'Body Heat,'" then I suggest you see Body Heat.

Direct-to-video. Kills careers - dead.

Run Lola Run (1998)

German cinema is back and here to stay

[28 October 1999]

I won't comment much on this film (there are already plenty) except to say that the sheer volume of comments is already an indication that this film is far from ordinary.

Love it or hate it, you have to notice it. Without casting a shadow over the idea (which is hardly new, it's true -- and I'm not thinking of Sliding Doors or Groundhog Day, either, as the idea is much much older than that), there is no question that it is a continuity masterpiece.

For its technical brilliance alone it deserves mention, but it is certainly a finished work --- as much as any film or work of art can be.

And I liked the monologue at the opening =)

Insomnia (1997)

Thriller in the classic Scandinavian style

[8 September 1999]

Insomnia is a criminal thriller shot in the classic Scandinavian style, a combination we're only seeing rather recently. When a teenaged girl turns up dead in a landfill, a homicide team is sent up from Oslo to back up the local police, who are ill-equipped to handle such a murder owing to its infrequency. Above the Arctic Circle, the lead detective is like a fish out of water - the 24-hour daylight drives him crazy and he is desperate to get out.

The scenes have a cold, bare feel to them, like the shooting locations (Tromsø and environs) and the protagonist/antagonist, Jonas Engstrøm (Stellan Skarsgård). Stark is a good word - but it is effective, and also beautiful. Bjørn Floberg also turns in a solid performance as the prime suspect. I found Skarsgård's female foil (Gisken Armand) a bit cloying but that's not enough to bring the whole film down.

Skarsgård's intensity is impressive and captivating, and the dynamic between his character and the others (he is Swedish, they are Norwegian) helps keep you interested. It's interesting to see how being a murder cop hardens a person - whether that person is Norwegian, Swedish, or American doesn't matter.

I would definitely recommend this film. It's a powerful and beautiful work that deserves to be seen.