SummaryStockholm is based on the absurd but true story of a 1973 bank heist and hostage crisis documented in the 1974 New Yorker article “The Bank Drama” by Daniel Lang. The film follows Lars Nystrom, (Ethan Hawke) who dons a disguise to raid a central Stockholm bank. He then takes hostages in order to spring his pal Gunnar (Mark Strong) from p...
SummaryStockholm is based on the absurd but true story of a 1973 bank heist and hostage crisis documented in the 1974 New Yorker article “The Bank Drama” by Daniel Lang. The film follows Lars Nystrom, (Ethan Hawke) who dons a disguise to raid a central Stockholm bank. He then takes hostages in order to spring his pal Gunnar (Mark Strong) from p...
Stockholm examines the traumatic experience of a hostage situation and projects it in a way that places the viewer in the space of the characters. The chemistry between Ethan Hawke and Noomi Rapace feels intense and real as we get to see the action unfold which really enhances the intimacy of the situation at hand and provide a look at the development of Stockholm Syndrome. I believe this is a movie worth watching and I would recommend you to see for yourself.
Just like the opening credits say, Robert Budreau’s newest film, Stockholm, is both ‘true and absurd!’ Whether it’s the captivating acting of Ethan Hawke, the laughable attempts by the Swedish police to stop the bank robbers, or hostages playing dead for the sake of their captors, you’ll fall in love with how absurd this film truly is. Not only is the writing, directing, and acting phenomenal, but Budreau continues to dazzle the audience with perfectly timed tunes from Bob Dylan that hooks both the audience and captors to the forces of Ethan Hawke’s character. I can’t help but recommend this all around stunningly ‘absurd’ film to audiences!
Whenever it promises to spin into madcap nonsense, Budreau asserts a kind of tortured primness, as if chastened by the realization that this all actually happened to real people. And they seem to be having more fun than we are.
There’s comedy in its depiction of the Swedish prime minister as a caricature of even-temperedness, but from its gaudy 70s costuming to its goofy, wobbling tone, everything about this film feels uncomfortably broad.
One of my favorite movies of the summer thus far has been Stockholm. The film was written and directed by Robert Budreau, and it is an action-adventure romance comedy that seems to transcend the conventions of every genre that it encompasses. The film is witty and clever. The film is based on the 1973 bank robbery in Stockholm Sweden that resulted in the psychological diagnosis of Stockholm syndrome. The film stars Ethan Hawke, Noomi Rapace, and Mark Strong; each delivering a clever and heartfelt performance. The performances in this film are strong. The heartfelt delivery by all three actors and the rather hopeful ending of the film left me extremely satisfied. I recommend anyone looking for an action comedy go and see this film immediately.
While the movie has great acting and the story it is based on is real and in a way interesting and important in history, the story itself is quite boring to watch in my opinion. Feels like short thing much more prolonged. But overall decent.
Hawke and Rapace writhes in those shared memories that pauses us still, in the middle of this hilarious mayhem.
Stockholm
Budreau, feels like he is always under surveillance. Safe are his film and authentic, hallmarked his methods. The director, Robert Budreau is playing safe, which catches you with quite a surprise considering the theme of the film. The risks are emerged from left and right or even from the top- "NO GAS!"- and yet the survival instinct of this empathetic criminal keeps us at the brisk of our emotions. Nails get bitten away and the laughs turned into a jarring flat emotion that I could only describe as captivating or surprised or satisfied, I don't know exactly, maybe all of it packed and send under to the address, "entertainment".
And that is where the film should have sticked to, for as soon as it aims for something it cannot get hold off, the earned and built pyramid collapses brutally. Another missing puzzle is the key to the observation. A known and occurred event as such should have a better observer than a storyteller. And on the plus side, is the balance between comedy and drama which frankly I wasn't so sure about, going in on this film. And after experiencing it, I think it is those dead eyes of Ethan Hawke that whips you with excitement.
If they grow dead in a comic situation you find yourself giggling like a six year old, and if they find themselves dead when insulted for his capabilities or incapabilities, the drama conjures the screen. And as short lived and quirky this love track may feel like, Noomi Rapace surely carries it in her body language, forever. She, describing a recipe and having a melt down, defines the thin line that film walks throughout this so-called heist occurring in Stockholm, that turned out to be a work, a showcase of brave potent friendship, ready to jump out of the plane to save the day.
I've read a lot of comparisons to Dog Day Afternoon, but beyond certain similarities, frankly those comparisons turn out to be too far-fetched, and will ultimately create quite the wrong expectations in people.
Stockholm is based on a true story, and that adds an extra flavor to the story. The interest is bigger, so to speak.
However, the same film exposes it as an absurd story, so the notorious inconsistency in tonality and development, makes it a film that's hardly taking itself seriously, which would not be so negative, if at least the experience was more stimulating.
Ethan Hawke, without effort, manages to make the film not entirely disposable, but there really isn't anything meaningful to rescue from this.
Production Company
Darius Films,
Lumanity Productions,
Chimney,
JoBro Productions & Film Finance,
Productivity Media,
Blumhouse Productions,
Sierra / Affinity,
Téléfilm Canada