Subtle and classy

Rating: 9/10 (9 March 2012)

A spy thriller by a director who trusts the skill of his actors, the strength of the story, and - not least - the intelligence of the audience. Wow! The acting is subtle but convincing - the performances are so good all around that it's hard to pick a favourite. Alfredsson's storytelling is minimalistic. He doesn't offer contrived scenes with characters explaining the plot at length; this movie requires its audience to pay attention in order to catch the fine detail, which is often only hinted at.
The movie seems to move along quite slowly, but the story is actually told at a tremendous pace. I was particularly struck by the absence of gratuitous violence - the few violent scenes are brief, and brutally realistic. In this movie, violence isn't intended to entertain, but to horrify.
Add to all that a great photo, and the result can only be top marks - this is a great movie!