BRAVE MEN’S BLOOD Review

Release Date: September 8, 2015 (VOD Platforms)
Director: Olaf de Fleur Johannesson
MPAA Rating: NR
Run Time: 93 Minutes

Coming out today on VOD is the Icelandic crime thriller Brave Men’s Blood, directed by Olaf de Fleur Johannesson. This lean cop drama, a sequel to 2011’s City State, has all the makings of a compelling story of corruption, tragedy and, ultimately, justice but just barely sticks the landing. Still, those looking for a solid crime thriller should give this a look.

The film stars Darri Ingolfsson as Hannes, a loving family man and straight shooter looking to make a name for himself and get out of his hero-cop father’s shadow. After being cut from the special police academy, he becomes one of the top agents for Internal Affairs, with his first big case being dropped into his lap almost immediately. A disgraced and dethroned drug kingpin, played by Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, informs Hannes that the head of Narcotics is dirty and working with the crime boss who ousted him.

Brave Men’s Blood begins at the academy, introducing us to the gritty visual style of the film and utilizing plenty of close-up handheld work – something that is used to great effect within this dark narrative. There’s almost a David-Ayer vibe at play, but it’s more stripped down, less stylish and more realistic feeling.

This realism works for me, however the results may prove to be a bit underwhelming to some viewers. There are a few chase scenes, on foot and by car, but they aren’t high-octane thrill rides so much as what a real-life scenario would entail. That isn’t to say the film is boring by any means, just don’t expect some bombastic action spectacular.

Structurally, the film is pretty standard, however there are a few odd choices made in the way of perspective. There’s an event that occurs at the end of the first act, after which we watch the events leading up to that point from the perspective of the antagonist, something that doesn’t happen again for the rest of the runtime. There’s also periodic voiceover from the former crime boss, who is barely even in the film; I’m guessing this has more to do with the connection to the first entry in the series, which I have not seen.

Brave Men’s Blood is a visually appealing, well-acted crime drama that’s definitely worth a look if you are into films like Elite Squad or the Infernal Affairs series. While it may not be as memorable as those, there’s still enough here warrant a recommend.