Wild Men
Thomas Daneskov's dark comedy proves sufficiently individual to become a cult favourite.
It is highly instructive to make comparisons between this Danish film and the American classic Fargo (1995), to consider both what they have in common and the extent to which they diverge. Thomas Daneskov’s Wild Men, written by him and Morten Pape, is not in the same class as the Coen Brothers’ masterpiece, but both films offer their own blend of the comic and the dramatic and at its best Wild Men possesses the kind of individual tone which could make it a cult movie.
The distinctive character of Wild Men is apparent immediately. Filmed in widescreen, it opens with shots of a Norwegian landscape, lets us hear sounds that suggest that somebody is in tears and then introduces us in close-up to a Danish man, Martin (Rasmus Bjerg), who is having a midlife crisis. Nevertheless, the tone quickly becomes comic since, in retreating from a conformist life as husband and father, he has travelled north, has donned a Viking costume and is equipped with a bow and arrow. He encounters a fellow Dane, Musa (Zaki Yousesf), who has been injured in a car crash and is asked how long he has lived this kind of life. “Ten days,” he replies, thus setting a tone that makes one laugh out loud. At the same time, preposterous though his actions are, you feel for him. Martin is trying very ineptly to live up to some macho image based on the idea that to truly be a man you have to take full charge of your life even if you do have a loving wife. This set-up is certainly comic yet the laughter that arises is never at Martin's expense.
The humour here is more fully upfront than in Fargo but even so violence is also part of the package. Bloody detail is literally present early on when in close-up Martin stitches up the wound that Musa has received in the accident. However, it's heavy drama of another kind when we realise that Musa is working with two drug smugglers who, far from being killed in the crash as he had assumed, have survived it. They are now following him intent on seizing the cash proceeds which he has appropriated. A local police officer (Bjørn Sundquist) is on his trail but the more serious danger is from the potential violence of his former companions who regard him as having double-crossed them. By becoming Musa’s partner on a journey to a distant village from which a ferry goes to Denmark, Martin has come to be seen by the police as some sort of accomplice and, having been identified by them, he will eventually find himself confronted by his wife (Sophie Gråbøl) who turns up in person.
Wild Men is aided by perfect casting. Gråbøl’s role remains rather subsidiary but she and Sundquist head a very strong supporting cast. Nevertheless, it is the partnership of Bjerg and Youssef, so perfectly balanced and realised, that makes the film a joy. If the pleasure that it provides fades, it is not their fault. When the travels of Martin and Musa bring them to a village that purports to offer an authentic Viking experience, the comic side of the film remains well in focus, but thereafter the humour fades to be replaced only by a far more pedestrian tale of menace. Musa despite his criminal involvement has become increasingly sympathetic, but the violent threat from his old companions leads to the last quarter of the film losing much of its individuality. It quite fails to emulate Fargo by sustaining the balance of warmth, humour and violence so perfectly as that film did. It's a shame because a great deal of Wild Men is very appealing and the lead actors impress throughout.
Original title: Vildmænd.
MANSEL STIMPSON
Cast: Rasmus Bjerg, Zaki Youssef, Bjørn Sundquist, Sofie Gråbøl, Marco Ilsø, Jonas Bergen Rahmanzadeh, Håkon T. Nielsen, Tommy Karlsen, Rune Temte, Katinka Evers-Jahnsen.
Dir Thomas Daneskov, Pro Lina Flint, Screenplay Thomas Daneskov and Morten Pape, Ph Jonatan Rolf Mose, Pro Des Rasmus Thjellesen, Ed Julius Krebs Damsdo, Music Ole Fløttum, Costumes Vide Knoblauch Hededam.
Nordisk Film/SPRING-Blue Finch Film Releasing.
102 mins. Denmark. 2021. UK Rel: 6 May 2022. Cert. 15.