måndag 11 april 2016

JOHAN FALK-SERIES PART 11: 107 PATRIOTS


Previously on Johan Falk:

Frank Wagner continues in the service of GSI. A sting operation and spy shenanigans on a ferry leads to the same type of shit GSI has been up to in the past. History does repeat itself.

Plot and jibber jabber:

It starts of very promising; Not in the usual murky, dark ,shady areas of police undercover workings. It starts out in a beautiful park full of families enjoying the beautiful weather. It is wrong to assume this movie is a walk in the park. Because a shooting opens. And it is a gangbang shooting that ends in tragedy . 

This scene is particularly harrowing as it might stir up some nasty feelings in people. The shooters are a bunch of foreign looking individuals and the victim a white middle class girl. But then it turns out the father of the dead girl is a right wing extremist, using his grief to further his political plans. If that is not a fucking evil asshole, I don´t know what is.  But this is a great start to the film in my opinion,to build  a conflict, but I am conflicted as well.

The plot surrounds what becomes gang warfare. For the Neonazis it is a culmination that leads to execute a particular operation that they have built up through the years. It is a very uncomfortable plot these days with the immigrant crisis and I just hope people would look at this as a dramatic piece of work and nothing else.

Frank is at the same time trying to remove himself from his gang, but Seth Rydell wont give in to his demands. This goes back to Pacinos great line; " Just when I thought I was out...they pull me back in"

Another element of the movie shows up. Johan Falks wifes ex-husband Göran(Johan Hedenberg). A bit of  douchebag and unresponsible father/husband. He will play a bigger part as he is into some shady shit

It is also a movie in which a neonazi is being used by the cops and as a result gets killed. Should we be sorry for that? Every time a human being gets killed is tragic. This guy is clearly just wrapped up in something he don´t understand. In a few years he might have started thinking for himself and gotten out of this nazi nonsense. I just can´t truthfully think it is ok for the cops to let that happen. No matter what bullshit the kid has been pulled into, This shit right here. This is not the shit cops are supposed to be doing.

It is also the part I get a bit serious for a moment.

I have skimmed through an article by right wing neo nazis and they see a left wing conspiracy in this one. Which is interesting as  some people on political left accuse these films to be right wing fascism

It is very interesting that the one common complaint is the illegal methods conducted by GSI. There is no argument about that. But right wing  and left wing forces tend to take stuff at face value and use whatever political value they can from these films and use it for their own agendas. I find it uneasy to say the least.. Politicising films is one of my big pet peeves. I don´t think one should stay ignorant of the place images has in our society, how they circulate and become part of us.  But decent criticism is aschewed in favor of ideological subjective concerns that more often than not are blind to intepretations unlike their own. hence I feel a bit uneasy about this one. It is a good thriller, but it is also one easily highjacked for political purposes.

These films do not glorify  police brutality and never has. That is the point of them.

However, there are some excellent set pieces in this. One shootout/chase that takes place in an apartment building, having characters leaping between buildings.

I don´t know, I am a bit uncomfortable writing about this one. It is a good thriller, but the political context makes me weary to delve into it.

But just so this post does not become picture less, Here is Ola Falk scoring own goal in a non-related soccergame. Harmless and goofy. No nazis, not anything. Just nice to see Johan take his time with his son playing soccer. The trainer need to chill the fuck out and learn there are bigger ideas at stake than some stupid soccer game for kids, that is mostly for them to enjoy playing anyway. (...asshole...)

"Come on! Fifteen minutes left!"


"COME ON!"

"Chill the fuck out, dude."

"The goal is the other way, Ola"





That is pretty priceless in a dark movie like this. For Ola maybe not so much.  Afterwards there is a very nice scene between Johan and Ola. Johan tries to comfort him by saying that people always complain about him scoring own goals ( in a matter of way). It is a nice scene as it shows a more mature side of Johan. Now a parent, he seems to have mellowed a bit. Not too much or else we would not have had much of a movie.

Fuck. This entire excerise has made me gloomy. I needed that last bit to cheer me up. 107 patriots features some stuff that is a bit too close to home. I need to sheer myself up. Luckily the next one is a heist movie. And I love those! 

Next time on Johan Falk: A heist movie! And Archipelago-Rambo! I can really dig this! Fun is waiting again!


Inga kommentarer:

Skicka en kommentar