City State (2011)
"Borgríki" (original title)

Set in modern day Iceland, an immigrant vows revenge after losing his unborn child in an attack by a crime syndicate, thereby binding his fate with a troubled policewoman, her corrupt police commander, and a crime lord who's losing his edge.

Director:

Olaf de Fleur Johannesson

Writers:

Olaf de Fleur Johannesson (screenplay), Hrafnkell Stefansson (screenplay)

Stars:

Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir, Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, Sigurður Sigurjónsson

1 win & 8 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir	...	Andrea
Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson	...	Gunnar
Sigurður Sigurjónsson	...	Margeir
Zlatko Krickic	...	Sergej
Björn Thors	...	Rúnar
Gladkaya Luna	...	Jelena
Björn Hlynur Haraldsson	...	Ingolfur
Gísli Örn Garðarsson	...	Jói
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stefania Agustsdottir	...	Svetlana
Erna Bergmann	...	Receptionist
Vildis Bjarnadottir	...	Sergei's Wife
James Davis	...	Gunnar's Bodyguard
Stanko Djorovic	...	Ivan
Svandis Dora Einarsdottir	...	Linda
Kristinn Ágúst Friðfinnsson	...	Hospital priest

Storyline

When a foreign mafia decides to take control of the Icelandic drug market, a police woman lost in violence, a mechanic revenging for his lost son, a crime kingpin with a heart condition, a corrupt officer in love with a prostitute will destroy each other.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Iceland

Language:

Icelandic English Serbian Russian

Release Date:

14 October 2011 (Iceland)

Also Known As:

City State

Filming Locations:

Reykjavík, Iceland

Box Office

Budget:

$800,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Poppoli Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is in production without any public funding. The staff work low salaries to be able to make the film.

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Connections

Remade as City State (2014)

User Reviews

Melancholy Thriller

Structurally and thematically similar to Doug Liman's "Go" and of course "Pulp Fiction" - the template to too many multi-stranded, time-hopping urban crime dramas - City State's milieu, a drab Iceland entirely devoid of folkloric landscapes, is more original than the content. It is a tale briskly told, that trades depth for pace, and some suspension of disbelief is required for the plot to convince. However the performances- particularly Zlatko Krickic - do partly compensate for the sketchy nature of the narrative, although both British actors seem even more out of place than their characters. Ultimately the combination of fashionable verite camera-work and grim mise en scene bolted onto contrived story-telling does not quite work and a promising socio-political drama about immigration, crime and authority barely peeps through its gangland mask.