Kaka

I enjoyed Eva Green in the corset more, but otherwise I enjoyed everything else less. The first one was better. Still top-notch production values, big-movie ambitions and the right dynamics and visuals, but the second part doesn't stand out in any significant way and only serves as a necessary bridge for the finale. Sort of like The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, a good second part, necessary for the great first and third.

The premise is estimated to be about 45 minutes of film material and the 113-minute running time is quite noticeable in some passages, but it is good for Chiwetel Ejiofor's directorial debut. The compelling story of a boy who manages to save the life of his family and village with a clever invention is filmed simply, with a few key and clearly delineated characters and their interactions and connections with each other, plus the misunderstanding of his father, the corruption of the government and the hard life in a poor country in the middle of Africa - as a necessary peppering of the plot. All the key points are sketched out decently and the narrative value is worthwhile, even if the film doesn't usually go completely in depth and rather just skims the surface and focuses primarily on one level.

A gritty low-budget historical drama that can hold its ground compared to its Western friends. A fine Mads Mikkelsen as a soft-spoken retired captain, a great villain escalating the pissed-offness of both the protagonist and the viewer, and a magical landscape of Danish moorland wilderness, very impressively shot by Rasmus Videbaek. I expected a tougher finale, but it somehow fell into a romantic template, but it was not a big deal and Bastard retained its toughness and dignity.