Stockholm review – Tells the wrong story

Stockholm is a turgid production. It proclaims to be based on “an absurd but true story” about a Swedish bank robber who takes hostages during a heist in the city.

The slight twist in the tail is that the bank robber, Lars Nystrom (Ethan Hawke, with a wig and dark glasses), pretending to be Kaj Hansson, falls in love with one of his hostages, the attractive Bianca Lind (Noomi Rapace).

Though married, Bianca discovers she also has feelings for this man, that develop as the siege progresses. This is known as Stockholm Syndrome, where a victim sides with her kidnapper more than her rescuer.

Ethan Hawke in Stockholm. Photo: Dark Star Pictures

Lars enters the bank with a mission. He doesn’t want money as much he wants an old ally, Gunnar Sorensson (Mark Strong with a wig) to be released from prison. The cops, led by the defiant Chief Mattsson (Christopher Heyerdahl), bring Gunnar to the bank.

The situation reaches a stalemate when Lars insists that they be allowed to leave with their hostages. The chief won’t allow that.

Divisions start to form and the plan starts to break down when Lars and Gunnar realise they’ll have to kill a hostage to prove they mean business.

Mattsson has had little experience dealing with the grave situation he is now facing. As the hours pass he has to make crucial decisions. But is he up to it?

Mark Strong in Stockholm. Photo: Dark Star Pictures

Written and directed by Robert Budreau, Stockholm is something of an endurance test on all sides, involving the actors as well as the audiences having to sit through it.

As usual, Hawke commands proceedings, depicting his character as a somewhat unhinged young man who has been watching too many American crime films.

It reminded me of the Al Pacino film, Dog Day Afternoon, but without the style or depth.

Rapace has little to do except look frightened for most of the action, while Strong is also grossly underused.

Stockholm is pedestrian. Not only does it fail to create tension but more importantly it’s unable to deliver on the deeper psychological aspects of the story.

Stockholm. Photo: Dark Star Pictures

The real-life incident to which Stockholm Syndrome gave its name was when Swedish hostages refused to testify against the criminals. The two main players, whose names have been changed for the film, became friends.

Director Budreau sticks rigidly to a sterile bank setting instead of pursuing the more fascinating events that followed, and neglects to answer the question of how someone can go from being a violent attacker, threatening to kill you, to ending up as a trusted family friend.

That should have been the real Stockholm story.

Info

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Noomi Rapace, Mark Strong, Christopher Heyerdahl, Bea Santos.
Director: Robert Budreau.
Classification: 13 V.

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