Blekingegadebanden (2009) User Reviews

Gripping

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 8/10 · 27 March 2009]

This is a documentary of feature length. It consists of interviews, stills, integrated sound recordings, clips from actual shot material(but not movies) and some reconstruction. This deals with the well-known gang, the mindset and motivation behind them, their robberies and, one of the areas that are given the focus throughout, the night in 1988 where one of them shot a police officer. Both sides are heard. Law enforcement and members of the group all share their thoughts and describe their reactions, and several attempt to explain, after having come to comprehend it themselves, why they, or the people above or next to them in the hierarchy did as they did. The portions of this that are directed, staged, never take over, and act more as... "dramatized" reality, let's call it that, to give a sense of the situations, to further deliver strong impact, along with the verbal retellings and speeches that are played. This is not a film, and those sequences do not lose sight of that fact. It is an exploration of a group of people, who, as it is pointed out early on, all came from quiet, normal backgrounds, yet went on to become criminals. After watching this, you won't know who fired that bullet, one early morning in the late eighties. Only a handful of people do, and they continue to keep the secret. However, you may have gained a greater understanding of that group of Danes. This holds a little harsh language, and footage that is disturbing. This is best viewed if you have a basic knowledge of the events. I recommend this warmly to anyone who wishes to find out all the information that they can about those involved with the title faction. 8/10

Half-hearted

[tim-k-lange · 5/10 · 29 March 2009]

This movie lends a lot to the books by Peter Øvig Knudsen, but it's different in one important way. The books focuses on the interesting characters of the gang e.g. Holger Jensen, but the movie focuses on a much more marginal character namely Bo Weymann. The interviews in the movie deals with the guilt motif, but doesn't manage to ask any of the tough questions.

A new trend in documentaries is the use of visual effects, in this movie the result is dire - the effects looks fine, but they don't seem justified. Why do we have to see a 3D gun with smoke coming out of the barrel, what does these kind of images add to the movie?

Watching this movie was quite entertaining, but considering the price-tag it carries it is all in all a disappointment.