User Reviews

I saw the Hollywood remake Contraband starring Marky Mark first. That film borrows every major plot point from this one, in slightly altered forms. And yet, the remake is a cartoon where nothing ever is at stake, whereas this film exhibits better logic of the characters and plot points. The dumb plot points (like the salt) are here too.

That's not to say it is a realistic story. More like a lower key Guy Ritchie picture, a heist film with a heightened reality, some comedy and some improbable escapes for the protagonists. The main romantic relationship between Kristofer and Iris is given more time to feel real here but the script is fundamentally plot driven. Kristofer is far more in jeopardy here than in the remake with his active parole and money problems.

I'm not sure this picture deserved its Oscar for Best Foreign Film but it was certainly a good foreign film for American audiences. So long as you aren't bothered by subtitles, anyone who likes a typical Hollywood crime movie will enjoy this one. Those after great foreign cinema with a very different tone should look elsewhere.

What begins as what seems to be a calm conversation over a cigarette between three young men, the opening scene of Reykjavik Rotterdam, directed by Oskar Jonasson (2008), quickly turns into one of the young men frantically running for his life from his two cigarette "friends." Unfortunately, Arnor failed to escape the two bruisers and gets a good beating. The reason for his overly hostile reprimand is because of a recent botched smuggling of alcohol, a job given to Arnor from his brother in law and former alcohol smuggler himself and main character, Kristofer. Since Kristofer vouched for Arnor to do the job, he has feelings of guilt and a sense of responsibility for his brother in law and his well-being. Struggling for money and the fact that he is an experienced and savvy smuggler himself, Kristofer is suspiciously roped into coming out of retirement for another alcohol smuggling affair to Rotterdam by his wife's ex boyfriend, Steingrimur, who seems to have an ulterior motive for pressuring Kristofer into doing the job. To his family's dismay, Kristofer accepts the job and boards a cargo ship with old crew members that are in on the smuggling as well. The captain of the cargo ship is anything but happy when he learns of Kristofer's presence on his ship, and is determined to catch he and other crew members in the act. Back in Reykjavik, Steingrimur's incessant scheming begins to feel routine when finally his real motive is revealed; he wants Kristofer to get caught in the act of smuggling alcohol because he knows that if he does, Kristofer will be in jail for a long time and in Steingrimur's mind that will surely lead to his eventual rekindled relationship with his ex girlfriend, which he will stop at nothing to achieve. A couple shootouts and even more fairly ridiculous twists set the stage for the rest of the rest of the film as the plot begins to unfold.

Undoubtedly, there are various underlying themes beneath this Icelandic action-thriller. One of which is that of "class lines" and the vast difference between the "haves" and the "have nots". It is easy to see that Kristofer is struggling to make ends meet with a wife and two kids to support in addition to his criminal record of the past. Kristofer and his family already live in a very confined space and there is even a possibility of being evicted, in which case they may have to live with relatives, borrow money, or downgrade further yet regarding housing. On the other hand, Steingrimur represents the "haves" in this film. He is portrayed as a businessman type with money not being a problem in his life, and carries himself in a way that people will know that he is well off. Even more evident is his egotistical nature while at the same time has the ability to "kindly" manipulate situations in order to achieve what he wants. Although Steingrimur is better off monetary wise, Kristofer hands down has the edge in character. Even though both Steingrimur and Kristofer are criminals, Kristofer is solely in it for the money that is needed to support his financially struggling family, but the same can not be said for Steingrimur.

Another strong theme present in Reykjavik Rotterdam I believe is that of love, and how love can drive anybody to do things they normally would never do. Case in point: a successful person like Steingrimur would normally never plot to have his ex girlfriend's husband imprisoned for the sole and self-centered purpose of ending up with Iris. However, his love for Iris drives him to do more than just set up Kristofer. He lies, manipulates, and commits serious crimes, all in the name of love. This eventually leads to irony when, after going through all that trouble to have Iris to himself, he is the one who accidentally kills Iris in a heated rage after his intentions and actions are put into question. Equally as evident is Kristofer's love for Iris and his children. He loves them dearly, and as a man does not want to have to borrow money in order to support the people he loves. But, because he loves his wife and kids, he will do nearly anything is order to support them and simply be together as a family.

Overall, the film was very enjoyable to watch and see how the plot unfolded. Even better was the random comic lines and scenes that added another great aspect to the film, which along with the action and unique story line undoubtedly kept my attention throughout the entire film. My only caveat was that there were a few scenes as well as a twist that seemed just a tad bit unbelievable, but what's a movie without a little bit of over the top drama? It sure got sucked me in hook, line, and sinker. Other than that, I truly enjoyed the film as a whole and would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a thriller with great acting, and not solely for international cinema guru's. 9 out of 10 stars.

Reykavik-Rotterdam has its moments, and lead actor Baltasar Kormákur does a pretty good job of maintaining a continuity through the film ... but, to be honest, there's not a lot that's extraordinary here.

There's virtually nothing new to this one; it's a rework of ex-con trying to make ends meet and being reeled back into crime, with the kicker of having to help a dumb brother-in-law who's in over his head. Then you have the scheming business owner looking to cut in on the ex- con's lady, and manipulating others to take the ex-con out of her life. (Sound like something you've seen before?) Frankly, Warner Brothers started making this film over-and-over with the birth of the talkies, and the only new angle is containerized shipping as the backdrop and cellphone ringtones as embedded clues.

The cast is certainly fine, but they don't have much to work with as far as their characters. You don't get a sense of anything beyond a bunch of low-lifes aspiring to nothing more than than the continuation of their low-lifedom. And the comedic bits are somewhat shoehorned in for quick and unsatisfying relief -- except for the goofball gangster sequence in Rotterdam, which really didn't last long enough.

It's not a bad movie at all, but it's not something that bears repeat viewing ... it's a spot of entertainment, but wound up in rather tired film clichés. And it's nowhere near the level of an Academy Award nomination for best foreign film.

Christopher is having money problems; much of what he owns was given to him by his friend Steingrímur; his wife Iris jokes that he even got her the same way! With the landlord threatening to evict him from his home he agrees to Steingrímur suggestion that he return to his old smuggling ways and bring a consignment of vodka from The Netherlands; Steingrímur will fund the operation and they will split the profits fifty-fifty. While Christopher sails for Rotterdam a drug dealer and his thugs start intimidating his wife for reasons that aren't immediately obvious. Aboard ship he and his shipmates work out where they will hide all the vodka so that the captain won't find it. Meanwhile another crewmate finds where he has hidden the money. After arriving in Rotterdam the lack of money could prove a problem but their contact forces Christopher and a friend to help them with an art heist as payment. As they return to Iceland it becomes obvious that Steingrímur isn't the friend Christopher thought he was. When he gets back he will have problems with the police, the drug dealer and Steingrímur.

When I picked this film on DVD I knew nothing about it; the blurb on the box made it look interesting and I didn't have any Icelandic films in my collection so I bought it… I'm pleased that I did. The story is interesting with some fine action as well as a surprising amount of comedy. This comedy is unforced; based entirely on amusing incidents rather than silliness or comic dialogue. The cast do an impressive job; especially Baltasar Kormákur who gives a standout performance as Christopher; also notable are Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson as Steingrímur and Lilja Nótt Þórarinsdóttir as Iris. The action is good without being over the top; I particularly liked when the ship arrived in Rotterdam and it looked as if it wasn't going to stop in time and the art heist scene. As the film approaches its conclusion the tension rises nicely and for a while it looks as if a key character is dead. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to anybody looking for something a little different.

2012:

Reading reviews about the 2012 Action movie Contraband,I was surprised to find out that the flick was a remake of a 2008 Nordic Noir title. Taking a look for the film,I was disappointed to find no English Subtitles DVD edition around.

December 2015:

With Christmas coming up in a few days I decided to go to a £1 shop to pick up some last items,and I was surprised to find dozens of DVDs of the original Contraband,which led to me deciding that it was finally time to purchase some contraband.

View on the film:

For Kristofer's failed attempt to go straight,co-writer/(along with Arnaldur Indriðason) director Óskar Jónasson & cinematographer Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson soak the film in light Nordic Noir blues which stylishly reveals Kristófer's blue collar roots.

Sticking Kristófer on a ship for a good part of the film, Jónasson hits the sea with an anxious mood,as brilliantly held corner shots unlock the limited locations Kristofer has to hide the contraband and his murky Film Noir past.

Kept to a lean 83 minute running time, (25 minutes shorter than the remake) the screenplay by Jónasson & Arnaldur Indriðason (who is also a superb Nordic Noir novelist) smartly keeps things evenly split between Kristófer and Íris,which creates an excellent friction in how they address enter the crime underworld,with Kristófer's desperate attempt to keep one foot in his family life being neatly counted by Íris unknowingly taking the rest of the family deeper into the ruthless Nordic Noir world.

Delivering a somewhat up-beat ending which thankfully keeps the contraband out of the most lawful hands,the writers give Kristófer and Íris a fantastic kick into the Film Noir darkness,as Kristófer starts to fear that Íris life is about to become contraband.

Going on to direct the US remake, Baltasar Kormákur gives a great performance as Kristófer,thanks to Kormákur's firmly gripping Kristófer's humble roots whilst also bringing his sharp Film Noir loner skills back out of the shadows.

As Kristófer tries to keep his dealings undercover,the very pretty Lilja Nótt Þórarinsdóttir gives Íris a sweet relaxed charm which becomes brittle,as Íris and the rest of the family find their hands covered in Kristófer's contraband.

The distance from Reykjavik to Rotterdam is 2,023 miles. By ship, it would take 82 hours from Point A to Point B. You can't drive the distance between the pesky Labrador Sea is in the way. That said, when the "good" smuggler, who had landed in Rotterdam, found out he was being betrayed by his "friend" in Reykjavik, it only took him a few hours to get to Iceland. How? By airplane? This wasn't shown. And to the fact that the physical trauma the wife experienced and survived that would've killed a rhino defies all logic. I didn't get the bits with the ship's captain, either. Was he the one in the picture with all those bottles of vodka? If so, why didn't he cover up the fact that someone may or may not be smuggling vodka on his ship? Back to the drawing board, boys. Hopefully your next feature won't be as hole-ridden as this one.