Four criminals lay their hands on a large sum of cash in Copenhagen and escape to the countryside where they come up with a perfect front – starting a small restaurant in an old house. This was a hit in its native Denmark, a welcome break from the contemporary Dogma movies. Traditional in its style and beautifully shot, the writer-director enjoys analyzing his violent characters and having a little fun with rural folks, but he’s also paying tribute to the idealized image of life in the Danish countryside, which is apparently a slice of heaven. Funny and exciting, the film has a good story and irresistibly pleasant moments in the middle of all the bloodshed.
2000-Denmark-Sweden. 109 min. Color. Produced by Kim Magnusson, Tivi Magnusson. Written and directed by Anders Thomas Jensen. Cinematography: Eric Kress. Cast: Sören Pilmark (Torkild), Ulrich Thomsen (Peter), Mads Mikkelsen (Arne), Nikolaj Lie Kaas (Stefan), Sofie Gråbøl, Iben Hjejle… Peter Andersson.
Trivia: Original title: Blinkende lygter.
Last word: “I remember it was the first time I made a comedy. This was a film directed by Anders Thomas Jensen, who was a growing factor in scriptwriting, but this was his first time as a director. You could immediately see that this was different from any other films made in Denmark before that time. He created a universe in its own reality that was not based on romantic comedy but on four friends who had nothing in common but got together for different reasons.” (Mikkelsen, Euro Channel)
