The Hanging Sun

This grazed the bar but didn't do enough to go over it. The cinematography is quite alright, and the gloomy norwegian landscape fits the feel of the film nicely. But that's about all the good this movie can muster. The elements of a good film are present but they are either too poorly executed or lacking conviction. The story is wafer thin. You never get involved in the characters to the point that you would care what happens to them. The dialogue at most times is wooden and unconvincing. Flashbacks are used at numerous times but they do nothing to move the story forward, but instead confuse you even more. I got myself to the end which wasn't evident watching, but alas at the end the payoff wasn't there. A dud sadly since this probably could have been better in the hands of a more seasoned director.

Nothing to write home about but from start to finish, it's watchable. A family hit man who wants out from his father and brother and killing, seeks refuge in a small town where he finds solace in an abused wife and her son. The father send his other son to bring back his brother and the widowed abused wife wants out of that small town but her dead husband's brother who's also abusive wants her for himself and there you have the whole story in its unfolding. Not much there on premise but there is a flow from beginning to end. The cinematography great as well. If you're looking for something to pass the time, you will not be disappointed. This is a solid one time watch.

By terrible direction, directionless acting and artsy pretentiousness pan and scan shots which can't replace actual dilaogue, character development and so on. Oh and MUMBLING, oh the Mumbling, the staple of "rural noir" these days. You ****d *****s of directors, if you're reading my review - mumbling and poor diction, in general, is a feature characteristic of the city people, for the very simple reason that speech patterns evolve very fast there, and for two - because the city is where all the poorest and the most foreign in a country, go - so mumbling is only natural there, as people are unafraid to show poor diction and all. Villages may have a regional dialect or an accent, but never wholesale mumbling, because if you're gonna live in a place you can't really leave from, then you better leave a good impression on others. Mumbling doesn't make your characters "deep" or "flawed" it makes your movie impossible to watch.