Worth: $9.00
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Cast:
Dar Salim, Birgitte Hjort Sørenson, Stine Fischer Christensen
Intro:
… doesn’t provide much new to the formula of the crime-action genre.
Heart surgeon turned-vigilante Zaid (Dar Salim) returns in the sequel to the 2017 Danish box office hit Darkland. Doing time behind bars for the violent carnage that he brought about in the first film, Zaid is offered a get-out-of-jail card by assisting the police (Birgitte Hjort Sørenson) in bringing down powerful drug lord Muhdir (Soheil Bavi) that has the city of Copenhagen under his thumb. Zaid has to go undercover and rise up the ranks to gain the respect of the gang and most importantly, the head honcho himself. Doing so, however, will put his life in danger as well as the safety of his family.
This is everything that you would expect from a film titled Darkland: The Return. And depending on your patience for B-movie action movies, that may not be a bad thing. The problem is, it doesn’t provide much new to the formula of the crime-action genre. This is your standard, run-of-the-mill ‘cops and robbers’ story where the protagonist has to gain the trust and loyalty of the villains; sometimes by committing questionable actions, developing a brotherly/fatherly connection to the mob boss; making the betrayal that much more difficult.
While the first film went for a Scandinavian take on the John Wick revenge story, this sequel takes its influence from superior gangster pictures such as Infernal Affairs, The Departed and Donnie Brasco. It so desperately wants to be these films, but it lacks any unique taste on this tired formula. Dar Salim – most recently going toe to toe with Jake Gyllenhaal in Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant – undeniably has the makings of a strong leading man, but he is not given a lot to do here to stretch his acting chops. Of anyone here, Soheil Bavi especially tries very hard to make an impression as a frightening villain who is both calm and collected, but hiding a violent animal inside. The script, however, fails to make him shine.
There are also moments in the film that just don’t make a lot of sense and rely on pure convenience. A rivalry with a local gang leads to Zaid being robbed. In what is assumed to be a bad-ass moment, Zaid tracks down the gang and is let into the hideout to get what was stolen from him. Quite easily in fact. Begging the question why a powerful rival gang would let an enemy into their hideout and have untrained henchmen who don’t seem to take protecting their boss seriously. Which then leads into a ridiculous (admittedly entertaining) chase scene where Zaid escapes scot-free. It’s moments like this that should produce a ‘hell yeah’ fist-pumping moment, but instead induce a long, concentrated yawn.
To its credit, the one thing The Darkland: The Return does have on its side is its visual flair. There is a real clean sheen to the camerawork that shows off how rich of a location Copenhagen can be in the dark-brooding crime genre. However, to fully appreciate this, one should turn to the thrilling Nicholas Winding Refn Pusher trilogy instead. Three films granted, but a far richer experience.
