The revenge film. It’s a simple concept, which can be executed in various ways. It can be raw and violent (Death Wish) or more subtle (The Invisible Guest. There is so much to choose from (including the Park Chan-wook revenge trilogy). This Danish film chooses for a simple approach, which of course can work effectively
Zaid (Dar Salim) is a successful surgeon who is doing pretty well for himself. That isn’t the case for his brother, with whom he doesn’t have a great relationship. When his brother shows up at his door uninvited, asking him for help, he sends him away. Shortly after that he receives the news that his brother has been murdered. Zaid is frustrated because the police doesn’t seem to do much to solve the case and he decides to track down the killers himself. It means he’s living two different lives which could have big consequences.
&nsbp;Darkland is one of those movies which does a lot of things right, but in the end misses the mark in some aspects making it hardly to blindly suggest watching it. It has a great atmoshphere. The dark, raw setting fits the theme of revenge well and the acting is good too. It’s clear what motivates Zaid, but his transformation into a Punisher-like character, dressed in black and riding his motorcycle trying to find his brother’s killer, isn’t completely convincing. There’s also a kickboxing montage which feels out of place. There are also moments during which the people he is chasing fight back, which also don’t feel completely logical. So it’s a film with some script issues, but if you can ignore that, this is an atmospheric title which its relatively simple revenge plot offers enough tension and action to see it at least once.
[score6]
Agree about the tension and Dar Salim’s intense lead performance impressed me. My main problem is would an educated doctor really put his job and years of training on the line, plus leave finger prints at the crash scene? Especially with a pregnant wife it seemed idiotic. He was smarter than that. But gripping to watch Zaid seek justice even if it isn’t the most original movie.
Yeah, it was a strange thing to do and the transformation was a bit extreme. But it has some great moments despite the issues I had with it.