En ganske snill mann (2010)

Ulrik is reluctantly let out of prison after serving 12 years for murder. He has to cope with his gang, his ex, a few women - and a snitch. His son has a fiancé. Her family doesn't approve ... See full summary »

Director:

Hans Petter Moland

Writer:

Kim Fupz Aakeson (screenplay)

Stars:

Stellan Skarsgård, Jorunn Kjellsby, Bjørn Floberg

2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stellan Skarsgård	...	Ulrik
Jorunn Kjellsby	...	Karen Margrethe
Bjørn Floberg	...	Rune Jensen
Gard B. Eidsvold	...	Rolf
Jannike Kruse	...	Merete
Bjørn Sundquist	...	Sven
Kjersti Holmen	...	Wenche
Jon Øigarden	...	Kristian
Jan Gunnar Røise	...	Geir
Julia Bache-Wiig	...	Silje
Per Frisch	...	Prison Guard
Frank Iversen	...	Bartender
Henrik Mestad	...	Kenny
Anders Baasmo Christiansen	...	Scrap Dealer
Aksel Hennie	...	Samí

Storyline

Ulrik is reluctantly let out of prison after serving 12 years for murder. He has to cope with his gang, his ex, a few women - and a snitch. His son has a fiancé. Her family doesn't approve of murder. They have a nursery, they have principles. Ulrik is a somewhat gentle man. But how gentle can you be? ...and he's losing his hair.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | stalking | ex convict | sami | grandfather | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes gangsters need hugs too

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

Norway

Language:

Norwegian Swedish

Release Date:

19 March 2010 (Norway)

Also Known As:

A Somewhat Gentle Man

Filming Locations:

Norway

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$2,506 (USA) (14 January 2011)

Gross:

$37,543 (USA) (6 May 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paradox Produksjon

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the basement Ulrik dances to "Mój przyjacielu" - a Polish hit written by Krzysztof Krawczyk and Goran Bregovic.

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Connections

Features Tredowata (1976)

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Soundtracks

"I Fought the Law"
Written by Sonny Curtis
Performed by Riviera

User Reviews

a different kind of movie

This is definitely a different kind of movie. At first I couldn't quite swallow it. Like one of those wired Frennch delicacies that taste so unexpectedly you can't decide whether to chew on or drop them out of your mouth. Yet, if you resist a bit further for your mouth and brain to accommodate, you find that the experience was one so rich and subtle it lingers on your senses for days.

There's not the least bit of glamor or pretence in this movie. The plot seem to develop rather too slowly, the dialogues do not have the sparkle which tingles the intellect and makes you feel smarter, the people are not handsome but slightly old, worn out, ordinary people and the sex scenes are stripped of magic, eroticism and, well, desire. Nevertheless, behind it all there's this gentleness, humour and a kind of sadness almost heartbreaking. Each character has a history of abandonment, abuse, absence of love behind them, which sort of handicaps the way they connect to other people, makes their words and gestures rather abrupt, apparently lacking emotion. And there's this "gentle man", a former cold blooded murderer, who can see their despondency and incidentally tries to give them a bit of what they need. In doing so, he attempts to shut a door on his bleak past. And it's not because he wants to be a new better man, but because he can no longer be the man that he was. He simply needs to be the father and the lover he was refused for many years, he needs to have an ordinary life. "Spring is coming", his reply at the end of the movie, and the small contemplative smile it's a welcome addressed to a life of better choices and the relief after just killing the last "shadow" of his past. Now I can tell no more without spoiling the movie, but I highly recommend it. Also, I recommend that you be patient. Even if you can't enjoy it from the very first, see it through. It will worth your while. I give this movie a 9 out of 10.