Stockholm

source: Stockholm

This is a strange film to discuss. It's not sure whether it's a comedy, a drama or possibly a thriller. There's not enough tension to make it a thriller, there are some comedic moments, but not enough to make you laugh, and the characters are too thinly portrayed to make you invest in them for the drama to work. But, despite that, it's as fascinating in some ways as a slow-motion car crash - you just can't avert your eyes. Bizarre.

"Stockholm" (2018 release; 92 min.) opens with the reminder that this is "Based on an absurd but true story". We are in "Stockholm, Sweden, 1973" as we see Kaj (later we learn his real name is Lars) walking into the Kredietenbank, and open a salvo of gunfire. He quickly takes several people hostage, releasing everyone else, and demands that a good buddy of his, Gunnar, be released from prison promptly, or otherwise he will kill one of the hostages. This sets in motion a confrontation with the police chief, who wants to negotiate, rather than give in to Kaj's demands... At this point we are 10 min. into the movie, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out. Couple of comments: the term "Stockholm Syndrome" is well-known as referring to a situation where hostages become friendly to the hostage taker(s), but do you know the facts of the underlying hostage case? This movie seeks to finally give us the full story of what happened in Stockholm back in 1973. The movie is by Canadian writer-director Robert Budreau, who previously gave us the excellent Chet Baker bio-pic "Born To Be Blue", starring Ethan Hawke. They must've liked their collaboration as Budreau and Hawke reunite for this film, and to great effect. Hawke is outstanding as Kaj/Lars, with just the right amount of swagger and charm. Check out his obsessiveness over Bob Dylan (4 or 5 Dylan songs play throughout the movie). But even better is Noomi Rapace, who stars as Bianca, the bank staff person who comes across as the mousy wife/mother of two young children, but underestimate her at your own peril, as she is determined to live through this. (Even though the movie is set in Stockholm, and Rapace is a Swedish actress, she speaks English for this role.) Christopher Heyerdahl plays the police chief with great restraint and confidence in his negotiating skills. I frankly was transfixed throughout the movie, and yes, there are some absurd aspects to the real-life story, but by no means is the movie a "comedy" or even "comedy-drama" as billed on IMDb: this is a hostage drama, nothing less, nothing more. "Stockholm" premiered at last year's Tribeca film festival, yes exactly a year ago. It finally received a limited theater release, and opened at my local theater the very same weekend as "Avengers Endgame" (which I have zero interest in seeing). Talk about counter-programming! The Friday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended just so-so (about 10 people), which is a darn shame. Hopefully this movie will find a wider audience as it is released on other platforms. Meanwhile if you are in the mood for a tense hostage drama or have always been curious about the underlying hostage case that provides the origin for the term "Stockholm Syndrome", or if you are simply a fan of Ethan Hawke or Noomi Rapace, you could do a lot worse than this movie. I'd readily suggest you check this out, be it in the theater (if you can), on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

Yeah. I was expecting more I guess. You get to watch Ethan Hawke run around with a * stache but that's kinda all that happens. There's no real drama taking place and the comedic aspect leaves a lot to be desired. I would suggest that if you are looking for a true biopic this is not really gonna give all you would expect. It isn't awful. It's just a bit dull and like I said, unimpressive.

For months I stayed waiting this movie then I got disappointment, it's a fake story I'm sure it's not true, bad movie and unfortunately I wasted my time.

Ethan Hawke and Noomi Rapace are a team to beat! They make an incredible team, and both give amazing performances in scenes both together and apart. One of my favorite scenes is toward the beginning of the film when Bianca, played by Noomi, is speaking to her husband and is simply telling him how to make fish for her kids. It's a touching scene that's so simple, yet, to me, brought much more meaning, and Noomi definitely did not disappoint. While the performances are one of the many things that made Stockholm so exquisite, the soundtrack and choice of color palette add to the beauty of the film. The soundtrack brings a lighthearted feel to scenes, with there being plenty of nods to the time period of the film, and the colors add to the vibrant feel while allowing more serious, somber scened to happen in some darker settings. Overall, Stockholm is a terrific film that I could watch again and again.

Based on a true story, so I was interested and started watching (Stockholm syndrome). 6 min. into the movie a policeman walks in the bank, shoots at the hostage taker who is standing with his back turned 6 (SIX) meters away and... MISSES!!! The hostage taker startled (I would also if a policeman missed me at a distance of 6 meters) turns around and without aiming shoots with a bust of bullets the gun out of the hand of the policeman. Lucky shot I guess? This where I stopped watching. Based on a true story... I don't think so. If it's true, I hope they fired the policeman, he is/was a danger to the public the moment he draws his gun.

If you like to get your eardrums raped for 1 hour & 32 min of CONTINUOUS SCREAMING, then you'll appreciate this movie! And this movie doesn't tell the real story of what happened during the robbery. In fact, there's hardly anything that relates to the true story, it's just pure fiction!

Stockholm fires on all cylinders, from its witty dialogue to its exceptional acting, but its character development is definitively the film's high point. In a story about a sympathetic captor, it would be easy to have him fully transform from villain to hero and have audiences satisfied that good prevails. However, Lars (Ethan Hawke) never loses his edge despite the development of a caring relationship with his hostage. The decision to develop a character that doesn't come full circle in his arc is a risky move, but it reaped a great reward for Dir. Robert Burdeau. The depth that he brings to Lars makes this film the perfect blend of style and character, ultimately creating the perfect cross between crime drama and dark comedy, which is guaranteed to appeal to any film buff.

Stockholm can be described as a fun and comedic film, covering a dark subject matter in order to show its audience how human beings cope with stressful, life threatening situations. The film is based on the Swedish bank heist, and hostage situation, that would later inspire the coining of the phrase "Stockholm syndrome," which describes the phenomenon of a hostage forming a bond with their captor. Of the many things the film does well, what stands above the rest is the films ability to make the audience realize how someone might actually succumb to Stockholm syndrome. The main anti-hero of the story, Lars (Ethan Hawke), shows early on that all he really wants is to get his buddy, Gunnar (Mark Strong), out of jail. You the audience member even find yourself sympathizing with him as over the course of the film he goes out of his way to care for his hostages including letting one of them, Bianca (Noomi Rapace), use the telephone to call her family. The comedy in the film comes across quite well, at some points I found myself audibly laughing, and allows the audience to establish a better connection with Lars. Apart from the story, the 70's aesthetics were executed perfectly with a very pleasing color pallet focusing on shades of orange and teal, wonderful b-roll of a 70's Stockholm, and a few Bob Dylan songs thrown in for good measure. It was very enjoyable to watch and had my interest peaked right from the get-go.