GSI - Spezialeinheit Göteborg: Zwischen den Fronten (2009) Online

In fact, for me, the film in question was the first one to familiarize myself with Johan Falk - although the first films with this character were shot a decade before. When the participation of Beck or Wallander in chases and shootings was rather limited, then Falk has well "settled" in the challenges related to modern depravities and felonies; Sweden is not a nice and calm place anymore - mostly due to the influx of immigrants and development of mobility - and more severe crimes need more severe measures to be taken. Falk and his colleagues are equal to the task, using all the help the modern technology can provide. Nevertheless, old approaches are still in place, enabling to exploit the Frank Wagner's character (giftedly performed by Joel Kinnaman), who sometimes overshadows Johan Falk himself (well, Jakob Eklund is pleasant, even as older). Anyway, all the characters spending more time on screen are elaborated and well played, and there is no contrasting of "good" and "bad" guys.

Thus, the film is virtually as good as any good British crime thriller, for example. I am eager to see all other Falk films as soon as possible.

Recap: Johan Falk is back in Sweden after his work at Europol ended. He joins GSI, a special task force in the Swedish Police against organized crime. This task force has a unusual high success rate and when a series of unusually brutal robberies GSI is the spearhead. They get a tip that few of the robbers are hiding in hotel downtown, but the hit against them goes awry. One of the GSI members is killed in shootout and then everything breaks lose. But in this chaos Johan Falk is approached by one of the robbers, claiming to be on the payroll of the killed cop claiming to be innocent. Now the two of them can't rely on anyone, neither cops nor robbers, and least of all each other.

Comments: The fourth movie about Johan Falk, a series that started with Noll Tolerans (1999), and the first one in a few more movies in the series. The series has been successful because that it has emphasized the suspense instead of effects and high-octane action, things that budget constraints and lack of experience in the Swedish movie industry make almost impossible. GSI, Gruppen för särskilda insatser, continue to do this very well. And that are a very good thing, because the few special effects that are in the movie are ridiculously bad.

But the things it can do well, it really does well. Gruppen för särskilda insatser is a very good, at least for Swedish standards, actionthriller, with the emphasis on thriller. It is a good story that builds the suspense slowly but at moments it really put me on the edge. The team behind the movie knows what they can do well, and they do it really well.

I think the cast does well too, even if it is a risky proposition to put a well known comedian as the lieutenant of the task force. With few exceptions, that gamble worked out well. Jakob Eklund returns as Johan Falk, and does it well, but that was critically important for the series. It is never a good idea to change actor as the lead character. The others in the supporting cast does well too, even if the story revolves very much about only three characters.

One of the few Swedish movies that I actually liked, but that comes with what I stated above. It's a thriller that just has the aim to be a good thriller, nothing more. And therefore it succeeds.

7/10

This flick, a continuation of the series about Johan Falk, is once again centered in Gothenburg, Sweden, to which the hero returns, even if his wife and kid lingers on in Brussels. Jakob Eklund, as usual in the leading role, has, as the producer pointed out in a private screening yesterday, mellowed out and soften up, both visavis his acting and visavis his voice - both making his acting more realistic, and less stage-like.

The story is about bold armed robberies in plain daylight, and how the new anti-organized crime unit - GSI - tries to tackle them. Well told, well acted, if not awe-inspiring so.

A new delight is Patrik (Joel Kinnaman), as an informer, working closely with his handler Tommy (also very well player by an actor those real name I don't know), and happens to be present when the two of the GSI team run into Patrik and his Russian boss - very effectively told, and the aftermath is a gripping. In the melee Tommy is fatally wounded by the Russian, and Johan Falk takes over, if very sceptical to do so at first. We, the public, doesn't at this stage in the story know that Patrik is an informer, nor does Johan Falk, so there is a very nice side plot, in which we get to know a bit about Patrik, and where Johan learn to trust Patrik.

As usual, the really bad guys die, but Patrik and his criminal colleages manages to escape, for the next installment :-)!

In short, a film with many excellent scenes, locations and actors, but the total isn't a 100% hit.

At first glance, you might think the Johan Falk series was some sort of libertarian fantasy--intrepid lone hero breaks all the petty rules of society to struggle against titanic forces of evil. But of course it's just the opposite--Johan Falk is slick propaganda for the police state.

Why does Johan have to be the lone hero in the first place? Because the powers of law and order are hobbled by all those silly rules of due process and civil liberties, and the only answer (as the stories repeatedly assert) must be a huge increase in the surveillance, regulatory, and policing power of the state. Take that, Ayn Rand! To be sure, the show is extremely well made, with lots of action, fancy houses, and hot actors. And also lots of hokum about the takeover of Europe by criminal forces to justify our only salvation, a total police state. And do NOT even whisper the word "Fascism," or Johan will ridicule you as politically correct eunuch.

I hear this is Dick Cheney's favorite show. He probably watches it on the local state-funded, "liberal" PBS station.

There aren't many titles to reckon with when it comes to Swedish action/thriller genre. Remember the Hamilton disaster? It was suppose to be a movie, but instead it's tagged as a TV production at IMDb. Again the Swedish film industry tries and fails miserably. I'm not being mean by saying that, just realistic. There aren't many talented film makers to start with in Sweden. And those with talent are never around Swedish action/thriller productions.

This is just another typical cop-snitch story written poorly and directed with a terrible manner. Acting was good, but I couldn't say that about all the actors in these series of GSI movies. There are a few of them(don't wanna name them) that should NEVER be in front of a camera, or nowhere near a film-making-team. What I hated the most with GSI is that through out the whole set of them, you get the feeling that your watching a B-TV-series. The camera shot's all the angles stiffly, and you get a feeling that your watching a theatre play. The "action" scenes are also similar, and have no dynamic at all. I don't have to be an expert to know that capturing the action scenes badly will result in a disaster.

That being said, GSI is not a disaster, it could have been worse. As I understand many people "with low expectation" actually enjoy the GSI series and movies alike. And the film industry in Sweden probably makes a few bucks(kronor) out of them. But with these low expectations and poor directing there might never be born a-grate-action-movie-of-Sweden. I'll keep dreaming of that day to come.

What a heap of troubles.

Sweden often combats crime; one may say it's "our" forté.

Trouble is, the same actors adapt the same dour, sour stance when affronting the crimes perpetrated by other film-makers and actors, all from Sweden. It's a downward trajectory.

Here, the biggest crime is courtesy of Jacob Eklund, who would not be able to act his way out of a paper bag; he's far too lackadaisical and apathetic to be a lead guy, and his character's simply not believable.

This story is somewhat interesting as one specific criminal quickly proves to be an informant for the police. That's about it, really. The action is questionable as I kept looking at my wall behind the TV at times, for more exciting stuff; I'm not exaggerating when writing it.

Fingers crossed for more excitement.