A bit toned down, I guess

Rating: 7/10 (31 March 2000)

This film isn't really all it could be. The premises are very good; a secret island, a map and a "Lord of the Flies"-like community living there. The actors do a fine job, and the setting is just as beautiful it can be.
But the film lack the depth and weight it should've had - the only moment in the film when you really feel weighed down by the life and choices these people live every day, is when the (swedish) fishermen gets shark bitten. That felt like a soft punch in the solar plexus when it should've felt like a truck hitting you.
As or the end, well...there really were no surprises there, it was obvious that it would turn out the way it did.
I'm always happy when one puts Swedish in a film, like in this one or "Titanic". But what I really wonder is why Sweden is mentioned so often in American films?