GrimPrecise I'll tell you why so serious

Crwthod A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

IncaWelCar In truth, any opportunity to see the film on the big screen is welcome.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Bene Cumb In spite of its smallness and remoteness, Iceland has lively and notable film industry, with several remakes made in Hollywood and world-famous actors included. This century has seen the development of thrillers, often based on real events - in the line of other Nordic countries. Svartur á leik is a fine example of them: realistic plot and characters, twists in the scenario, witty ending... Well, unlike in Hollywood films, there are no constant chases, shootings and explosions, characters are not dealing with thoughtful sayings and not escaping in the very final moment... Nevertheless, there is a kind of Nordic style, splendidly complemented by nature scenes and club milieu. The actors and scene feed may seem a bit torpid, but so the Nordic people are... Recommended to all those fond of Nordic crime films, and not thinking of Iceland as an idyllic and static country - international crime and addictions have reached this distant and thinly populated island as well...

billcr12 The drug dealing underworld is the focus here, set in Iceland, with a group of very unseemly individuals, fueled by cocaine and large quantities of alcohol and loud music in one too many night club scenes. We get bad cops and criminals and mediocre acting with an apparently bad English dub in the version I watched. A guy nicknamed Psycho is lured into the drug trade by the big money to be made and he hooks up with a childhood friend in many law breaking activities, including a funny bank robbery. Along the way there is a homosexual rape, and some bloody violence. The pace is rapid, but by the time it finally ended, I really did not care what happened to anyone involved, because no one portrayed had any redeeming qualities. A very average entry into the crime genre.

Tommy Nicholls Black's Game is a film produced by the director of Drive, Nicolas Winding Refn. I most likely don't need to tell you this, as most of you will have probably come to this after devouring his cinematography, looking for more of the same stylish cinema. What I do need to tell you is that this, isn't really like his works, well at least not his more modern attempts. It does have aspects of Refn, most notably with the Soundtrack and the style, but this is not Refn. Óskar Thór Axelsson establishes himself here as someone to watch.It starts slowly, and as the events unfurl and become chaotic, so does the pace of the film really hyping up towards the finale. Every character is well played, and despite the language barrier, I could actually feel the characters. Everything about this film, was stylish and well played out, really mimicking its subject and the lifestyle without seeming forced. At a relatively short time of an hour and forty minutes, this doesn't outstay its welcome, unlike a lot of films released today. And is well worth a watch, especially if you like crime drama's. Overall, a stylish look at the start of the Millennium, and a fascinating character driven crime drama.

Red-Barracuda After spending a night in the cells for a violent encounter, a young guy called Stebbi (Thor Kristjansson) bumps into an old school friend Tóti (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson). The latter is now a gangster and he invites Stebbi into his world. Things become more complicated, however, when they join forces with a psychotic gangster called Bruno (Damon Younger). They take over the territory of the old-guard and set up a complex drug trafficking system but things begin to spiral out of control.Pusher and Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn is the executive producer here. Black's Game is a film that does show his influence. It's a stylish crime-thriller with a prominent electronica soundtrack. It's based on a best-selling novel and it includes re-enactments of some real events. Set in the last days of the 20th century, its historical setting is intended to reflect the growth of the Icelandic crime underworld at the turn of the millennium. In many ways it's a fairly routine crime film, what really makes it distinctive is its Icelandic flavour. The dramatic landscape and the cultural details set this gangster flick apart from others. Otherwise it uses lots of stylistic touches now familiar to the genre like split-screen, slow motion and jump-cuts, although these are always quite welcome and they are well done here. As you might also expect for the genre, it is violent and disturbing at times too. But it also has space for a little sensuality as well, with the gorgeous María Birta, who plays coke-head Dagný, a very welcome presence indeed.Black's Game may not exactly break the mould but it's a very good crime-thriller nevertheless. If you enjoy the new wave of north European crime films, such as the recent Headhunters, then this one should offer you something too. It wraps the genre up in the unique ambiance that northern European films do.