You know Stellan Skarsgard’s face, even if you don’t recognize the name. The Swedish actor has enlivened countless American films: He was a Soviet submarine captain in “The Hunt for Red October,” a professor in “Good Will Hunting” and the gruesome Bootstrap Bill in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise. In the clever criminal comedy “A Somewhat Gentle Man,” he’s almost unrecognizable from the tanned love interest he played in “Mamma Mia!” just a few years ago. But this is a Scandinavian film, and in that cold and lonely clime, it seems, even a pot-bellied, balding ex-convict can get more women than he can handle.
| Onscreen ‘A Somewhat Gentle Man’ |
| 4 out of 5 stars |
| Stars: Stellan Skarsgard |
| Director: Hans Peter Moland |
| Rated: Not rated (brief nudity and strong language, adult situations) |
| Running time: 103 minutes |
Skarsgard plays Ulrik, who’s let out of jail after a 12-year stint for murder. “We just wanted to wish you luck,” a guard says, giving his former prisoner a bottle of whiskey. “With the rest of your life.” A metal door opens on to an expanse of flat land, with snow as far as the eye can see. Ulrik looks none too eager to make his way into a world he barely knows anymore. Imagine, for example, being a chain smoker who had no idea the habit had been outlawed even in grungy diners.
Ulrik is content with letting his old boss arrange his new life for him. Jensen (Bjorn Floberg) is happy to see Ulrik after a dozen years — and impatient for him to “settle his account,” as he puts it. But Ulrik seems to have gone soft in jail. At least at first — keep in mind that, as the title has it, he’s only a “somewhat” gentle man.
Without Skarsgard starring, it’s likely few Americans would have heard of this Norwegian film, though it won the special jury prize at the Chicago Film Festival. Thank goodness for the familiar face, as this riotous black comedy is a showcase for Norway’s best. Jorunn Kjellsby, who plays Ulrik’s frisky landlady, is a 40-year veteran and fascinating to watch on-screen, despite not being in the least bit pretty. Kjersti Holmen is a comedian who plays Ulrick’s still-simmering ex-wife, and the popular singer and actress Jannike Kruse is Merete, the beautiful but troubled secretary at the mechanic’s where Ulrik works. Most notable is the owner, played by Norwegian legend Bjorn Sundquist. This curmudgeonly mechanic barely speaks, except for the odd moment — like when he’s having a heart attack — that he offers, in a stream of syllables, his own peculiar view of life.
Skarsgard, of course, is mesmerizing. Though he’s not a Hollywood-style idol, it’s easy to understand why he attracts so much pity and understanding. “You got your chance, but you didn’t take it,” the mechanic tells Ulrik at one point. But Ulrik proves it’s never too late to put at least a little effort into living.
