Based on the absurd but true 1973 bank heist and hostage crisis in Stockholm that was documented in the New Yorker as the origins of the ‘Stockholm Syndrome.’
Co-produced by Blumhouse Productions, who seem to be branching away from the horror output they’re typically known for, Robert Budreau’s comedic thriller “Stockholm” wants to have its cake and eat it too but ends up having its face smeared with batter. It wants to study and trace the Stockholm Syndrome to its inception, a notorious bank robbery set in the titular city, wherein victims fell for their captors. It wants to be zany, with an eccentric, borderline bi-polar protagonist. It wants to thrill with intensity, charm with its romance, squeeze tears with drama. Predictably, the result is a wild jumble, tonally, structurally and thematically. That’s not to say Budreau’s ambitious flick’s devoid of merit – it’s just whatever merit it has is buried underneath an avalanche of odd choices and too-muchness.
Beginning with the well-worn title card/warning – “based on an absurd but true story” – the film takes place in – you guessed it – Stockholm, Sweden, in 1973, when characters wore oversized glasses and sported shaggy haircuts. We watch Lars Nystrom (Ethan Hawke) practice his lines as assumed identity Kaj Hansson, before putting on a wig, casually walking into a busy bank – the biggest one in Sweden – and blasting a machine gun in the air. One of the employees, Bianca (Noomi Rapace), triggers the alarm, but instead of shooting her, Lars asks her to call over the chief of police. His ultimate goal: to reconnect with Gunnar Sorensson (Mark Strong), the “greatest bank robber in the whole world,” make their escape together to France, “get a plastic surgeon and start over.”
As the bank gets surrounded by what seems like Stockholm’s entire police force, the reunion happens, Gunnar joining Lars – who is busy falling for Bianca, and vice-versa. The two spend an intimate night in the vault (what happens in the vault, stays in the vault), and things only get more intimate – and ludicrous – from there. A scene involving Bianca speaking with the prime minister on live television may be the highlight of an otherwise highly-messy film.
There are a few nifty touches, like an ingenious sequence involving gas, nooses, and a supposedly dead Bianca, and the fitfully intense finale, when the captors/captives finally emerge into a crowd full of reporters and cops. Ethan Hawke’s turn as Lars/Kaj powers the film. “The party has begun!” he exclaims, blasting rock music. Manic, unhinged, childish, violent, cowardly and very funny, Hawke proves once again that he’s one of our most versatile actors. Strong keeps up, delivering a previously-unseen side; there is chemistry between the two, particularly evident in the scene where they sing together joyfully. Rapace fares worse, her performance stilted, especially in contrast to the live-wire Hawke. “He’s not all bad,” she stutters to her husband over the phone, as she rapidly falls for Lars. She then proceeds to ask about dinner: “How did the fish turn out?”
Such weird, forced moments arrive in heaps. Lars makes a cop sing Bob Dylan over the walkie-talkie, but how does he so easily assume the latter knows the lyrics? It’s perplexing that Swedish characters speak English, diluting Hawke’s American-ness. There’s an awkward scene involving a young woman having a period, or one that has Lars hatching a plan to shoot Bianca, which obviously goes terribly awry. Worst of all, the central premise, their romance, is utterly unbelievable; all of a sudden, the captives are enchanted by their frankly insane captors, jamming out together to music in the vault. There’s no evidence of “brainwashing” or even chemistry, as both Lars and Gunnar are portrayed as doofuses that get into fights and backstab each other. The often-clumsy dialogue doesn’t help matters.
“Stockholm”’s pace is uneven, its beautiful setting marred by the fact that most of the film takes place within the confines of the bank. Veering crazily from loud comedy to languid thriller to dark drama, it’s barely saved by its central performance, and is bound to frustrate and entertain in equal measure. My recommendation? Watch “Dog Day Afternoon” instead.
Opening at Grapevine Mills 30, Mesquite 30 and AMC Dine-In Stonebriar 24 April 26th
