MovieChat Forums > Gränsen (2011) Discussion > A very decent movie indeed.

A very decent movie indeed.

posted 13 years ago by Trioxin_Zombie
3 replies | jump to latest

I have to say I am impressed with it. I really thought it was worth the money that I paid for it on DVD a couple of days ago. I bought it from Asda incase anyone was wondering where I bought it from. It's available on Amazon (UK) as well.

The pace wasn't off or anything. It was well paced for a movie of this kind. Focusing on a small group of soldiers (about six in total) who end up behind enemy lines. Hunted by a couple of snipers from their own side (the movie explains why this is) and also hunted by the Germans as well. All while one of the soldiers is searching for his brother who disappeared the night before while on duty at the border. The acting in the movie was good too. No complaints there.

You learn to identify with the soldiers in the movie since there aren't very many of them. And so when something happens to them you tense up a little in wonder what their fates are going to be. And the end of the movie wraps things up real nice as well. No disappointment here from me. It's all good!.

The rescue scene from the old school building was filmed really well. And Egil's fate was haunting in a way. The way he just kneeled there watching the school burn to the ground as he was mortally wounded. His own son died in that very building as we heard about earlier in the movie. Egil sorted some of the nasty Germans out so he did by throwing some Potato Masher grenades (Tattie Mashers) in their direction. One he threw that make me smile was when he through it in a side window of the school building, we hear a German soldier scream like a bitch and then BOOM! and then there is more screaming from him as he is burning to death. Another scene with Egil was when he blew up his own bunker he lived in. He and the other two soldiers left the bunker to head to the old school building for the showdown with the Germans. And as they walked away from the bunker it exploded in the background and I think the two soldiers with Egil sh!t their pants as it was unexpected. They just looks at him and then at each other as Egil ignored the explosion and strolled onwards lol. The ending was a nice touch to the whole affair too. It allows you to make your own mind up as to Aron's fate. Me, personally, I think he didn't make it. But then again, he might have made it after all. We'll never know. And I commend the movie makers for choosing this sort of ending. I am sick and tired of Hollywood type endings that ruin things by answering every detail.

I have not yet come across a bad foreign language movie. Granted, I've not seen all foreign movies. But I've seen a lot of them over the years. And I am always on the look out for more as well. I will choose a subtitled movie over a dubbed movie any time. Dubbing is for the lazy so it is. Dubbing kills the atmosphere and tension and the original actors portrayal of the character. Because the dubbed voice never gives off the same emotions as the actor in the movie because the dubbed voice is being recorded in a studio somewhere. They are not actually there so the performances in dubbed movies is poor. Subtitled movies are the best when it comes to foreign language movies.

Beyond The Border - 9/10.

"What we gotta do is we gotta snag that tall dude and stomp the sh!t out of him!."

[–] d98mp 13 years ago

I both agree and disagree. It was very well made but some of the characters and events seemed unreal. The soldiers had orders to set up a checkpoint but instead they chose to drink and gamble (AFAIK a Swedish soldier who abandoned a checkpoint during WWII was sentenced to at least a couple of days in jail).

The topic of this movie is a bit disappointing. When - at last - a good Swedish movie depicting a historical event is made, it is focusing on a war where we did not participate. The history of Sweden is full of interesting topics which could result in dozens of movies. Vikings who travel to Constantinople, medieval struggle for power, Gustav Vasa and his climb to power, Dacke and his rebellion against Gustav Vasa, The Thirty years war, our colony in Delaware, the brave march over the frozen sea in 1658 which resulted in a decisive surprise attack on the Danes, the Great Northern war (one teenage king against Denmark, Poland and Russia), the battle of Narva (the Russians outnumbered us but we won), the failed invasion of Russia which ended in disaster etc etc...

I agree with the OP! And I also prefer subtitled movies like Apocalypto over movies where people are speaking English although it is totally unrealistic for them to do so.

[–] EverquestSux 11 years ago

the examples you lines up there is never ever going to be filmed, because they incite patriotism and pride of your country and people, something that is forbidden in sweden. sweden and its inhabitants ( post and present) must at all times be portraid as weak and stupid looking, and if possible impotent aswell, so you can forget movies of the sort you are talking about . ( unless they are made by somebody else of course)

[–] Skoony 10 years ago

Egil's death was particularly cliché.

"I'm gonna fall down dramatically and really slow but before I do that I get to kill two with a grenade and another one a minute later." Too bad, because he's Norway's best actor. Prior to his death he was king.

Otherwise, it really held suspense but I'm a bit let down by how bad the Swedish soldiers were. Granted, they're human and all that yadda yadda yadda.