There are things to like about Reykjavik-Rotterdam. First off , its always good to have a film coming out of little known Iceland. Recently films such as Black's Game have really opened my eyes to Cinema from this nation. To see that the Hollywood film Contraband is a remake of Reykjavik -Rotterdam, the expectations were at a high.Unfortunately Reykjavik-Rotterdam is far from a good film in my opinion. It has many problems with one being that it didn't feel like a complete, all round experience. Our main character travels to Rotterdam on board a cargo ship, to smuggle some alcohol back to Reykjavik in order to give his family a better life. We also have the standard villains who are pursuing and hassling the families of the characters involved. However, while it might sound interesting, the film manages to feel like a B Grade film. By the end of it, you want more. You feel like it was way too simple to receive all the accolades that its received. The villains aren't intimidating enough and the plight of the main character isn't translated very well through the screen. To sum it all up, Reykjavik-Rotterdam feels like a movie that was rushed. With patience, it could have been memorable, but unfortunately it falls short of the mark. If you want to see a good Icelandic Crime Thriller, I would suggest Black's Game!

I saw the Hollywood remake Contraband starring Marky Mark first. That film borrows every major plot point from this one, in slightly altered forms. And yet, the remake is a cartoon where nothing ever is at stake, whereas this film exhibits better logic of the characters and plot points. The dumb plot points (like the salt) are here too.That's not to say it is a realistic story. More like a lower key Guy Ritchie picture, a heist film with a heightened reality, some comedy and some improbable escapes for the protagonists. The main romantic relationship between Kristofer and Iris is given more time to feel real here but the script is fundamentally plot driven. Kristofer is far more in jeopardy here than in the remake with his active parole and money problems.I'm not sure this picture deserved its Oscar for Best Foreign Film but it was certainly a good foreign film for American audiences. So long as you aren't bothered by subtitles, anyone who likes a typical Hollywood crime movie will enjoy this one. Those after great foreign cinema with a very different tone should look elsewhere.

When I watched the American Contraband movie, I had no idea it was based on this movie, because I hadn't watched it back then. Of course the minute Contraband came out on DVD some clever marketing guy thought of releasing this movie too and label it with the tag "movie Contraband was based on". Since I liked the the other Contraband, I thought I'd give it a try.And it is more than apparent that Contraband uses most of this movie as a blueprint. This one though, is leaner and faster. A frenetic pace that might leave some people behind. I like it when people can tell you the same thing, but quicker.. In this case though the remake did improve on some points. One of them is the ending. It doesn't make any sense, even if it is meant to be a joke, they should know better than that. The relationships get explored more in the remake, which on the downside make them a bit cheesy of course.Tough to say what you might like more. I always think it's good to see the original first and then the remake. But that is up to you.

When I looked up this film on IMDb to comment on it, I noticed that there is already talk of a remake with Mark Wahlberg. It doesn't surprise me that major studios would turn to this thriller, which depicts an unusual and interesting milieu and tells its story with great suspense, warmth and humor. Although, as an art historian, I cannot recommend the negligent treatment of a Jackson Pollock painting in this movie. It's kind of sad that the remake means that this Icelandic movie will not get the attention it deserves in other countries. The acting was excellent, the directing impeccable, and the story well-crafted with interesting characters.