Zero Tolerance

Zero Tolerance

Zero Tolerance

I'm quite surprised since "Noll tolerans" is a Swedish thriller that actually works. It's far from perfect, but the basic premise (would *you* dare to testify?) is very interesting and the three leads (Jacob Eklund, Marie Richardson and Peter Andersson) are all great. The score is also very effective. The film is about fifteen minutes too long and I think the story could have needed some shortening, but it's still a good film. (6/10)

"Noll Tolerans" certainly isn't the best of Scandinavian cinema I've ever seen, but it certainly isn't as bad as some people would like you to believe. It reminded me more of German detective series like for instance "Tatort" or "Ein fall für Zwei" than that it gave me the feeling that I was watching a movie. I guess this is more straight-to-video material and not really a movie for the cinemas, nevertheless I had a good time watching it. The story is about Johan Falk, a tough police officer, who finds himself in a shoot-out with jewel robbers. He survives it, but an innocent bystander and one of the robbers get killed. Several witnesses recognize Leo Gaut as the other robber, but Gaut isn't just a small-time criminal. He's a very dangerous guy, who doesn't mind threatening the witnesses. Of course the witnesses soon change their declarations, because they fear for their lives and Falk gets suspended and will be arrested because the police now thinks that he started the shooting. Falk escapes, but instead of hiding, he tries to find out the truth, while being chased by some of his own colleagues. The movie doesn't offer any special twists, but the story is more than OK and the acting is good. Overall watching this movie isn't the most shocking movie experience you'll ever have, but it is decent enough to keep you interested from the beginning to the end. I give it a 7/10.

"Noll Tolerans" may be well plotted, skillfully directed, and impressively cast it still bears a major problem indicated by its title. In making sure that its audience will never be in doubt about who´s good and who´s evil in this movie, the hero-policeman is pure as snow and the villain is downright hissable. Having that established the movie ridicules legal process, denounces legal representation (the villain´s lawyer is even more detestable than the villain himself is) and argues that Sweden´s society would be a safer place to be if it would just allow the police to do their job. That´s not only a questionable approach to the state of law, it would have been a much better movie in case its makers would have dared to paint it gray and not just black and white. In comparison "Dirty Harry" was a more ambiguous enterprise, with ambiguity being one of the last things springing in mind when thinking about Mr. Callahan.

When walking out of the cinema it was with a great smile. This is an amazingly well produced movie. All characters were starred brilliantly. The main cast; Jacob Eklund, Peter Andersson and Marie Rickardson were very trustworthy. It's a great move to leave Stockholm and show Sweden that the western parts of the country also is capable of producing high quality movies.

I just had a revelation: people in Sweden like Swedish movies, no matter how goddamn awful they are in every department, because watching a Swedish movie means not having to deal with the enormous pressure of having to read subtitles! Well I'm sorry English flunkies, there's no joy in being Swedish when you're watching Noll Tolerans, because the actors in this one go to great lengths to make the dialogue IMPOSSIBLE TO HEAR! They're like: "Mff.....mlllg....asså mmff....mffmlflflf...", I'm like: "Huh?? Speak up you talentless aphasia victims!", and Swedish critics are like: "Best action movie ever!" Am I from another planet here?? Am I the only one to see just how awful, generic, dull, obnoxiously badly acted and incomprehensible this forgettable mess is? I can live with the fact that Swedish movies in general are awful. What really bugs me though, is how Swedish critics as well as average Joes (or should that be average Svens?) praise this stuff as high art! "Oh yes, Noll Tollerans is as good as an action movie can possibly get! ...in Sweden, anyway. Because as we all know Swedish movies need special treatment and should be rated on the "good for a Swedish flick" scale rather than the "good period" scale. What's that you say? Bergman who?" Um... this review is getting as incomprehensible as the movie itself. The point I'm trying to make is that Sweden HAS produced great films in the past, but critics choose to ignore that, praise trash, and thus movies like Noll Tolerans and Hip Hip Hora get 10-star reviews. This movie sucks. I love movies and the Swedish movie industry makes me want to kill myself. Is this really the best we can do?? Rant over.

From the moment the car chase at the beginning of this film starts you know you are in for a thrilling ride to the end. I have watched a number of Swedish films of this genre on local cable here in Australia and have come to realise the Swedes make excellent thrillers. This film's plot is hardly original ... wrongly accused cop seeks truth and justice ....but it is done with such style and elegance (yes elegance, the production design, lighting and cinematography are superb)that the plot holes, mercifully few that there are, are hardly noticed. The actors (all unknown to me ...but I assume well known in Sweden) are excellent. The tough, thoughtful hero (Jakob Eklund)and the fearful villain (Peter Andersson) in particular add greatly to an already thoroughly satisfying film. Congratulations to all involved ..I hope the sequel "Livvakterna" is as successful.

I just discovered the Johan Falk series on netflix. Wow! The build up of the suspense is slow but certain. My heart beats faster and faster with every movie I see. The suspense is killing! I feel the anxiety of the charachters. Tonight I wil watch the final last movie. I hope the pilot movie 'The Third wave' will become available on netflix also.