Uro (2006)

	Directed by: Stefan Faldbakken	COUNTRY Norway GENRE Drama INTERNATIONAL TITLE Restless RUNNING TIME 104 minutes
	Produced by: Christian Fredrik Martin Asle Vatn
	Written by: Harald Rosenløw-Eeg

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Hans Petter	Nicolai Cleve Broch	½
Mette	Ane Dahl Torp
Marco	Ahmed Zeyan	½
Makker	Ingar Helge Gimle
Henning	Eivind Sander	½
Anders	Kim Sørensen
Dansken	Nicolas Bro	½
Frank	Bjørn Floberg	½
Rodovan	Thorsten Flinck
Dealeren	Nicholas Hope
Moren	Anne Krigsvoll

Review

Picking up the thematic line from its sibling, Uno, we return to life on the backstreets of Oslo, where we follow an undercover policeman trying to expose the main mafioso in a classic urban drug scene, and, more importantly, trying to figure out which side he's on. Written by the skilled Tønsberg writer Harald Rosenløw-Eeg, the film has a clever plot that knows its way through twists and suspense arcs belonging to the classic undercover-cop subgenre. In this technically narrative respect, Uro is a forceful and knowledgeable film. It works well on a surface level.

Unfortunately, the film's interpersonal level isn't equally impressive. Neither the acting, the direction, nor the dialogue makes us care very much about these characters in general or Hans Petter (Nicolai Cleve Broch) in particular. Although some of the supporting characters are effective (Bjørn Floberg steals every scene he is in, giving a performance reminiscent of Jack Nicholson at his best), the three leads become more and more stereotypical as the film unfolds. Cleve Broch is a fine actor at his best, but his psychology here is scattered all over the place and leaves a lot to be desired. The film conceals his background in order to use it as a punchline, but forgets to justify the character's motivation in the process. Alongside Broch, Ane Dahl Torp and Ahmed Zeyan deliver perfectly uninspired rehashes of archetypal characters.

Uro works best in the segments in which the filmmakers aren't too concerned with narrative progression, thematic relevance or being clever. In scenes where Floberg is given freedom to roam, the film is alive and vibrant, largely because Floberg is the only actor in the film who is able to convey any sort of shift in tone and pace in his character. At the other end of the scale, there are unconvincing and unimpressively directed segments such as the love scene between Cleve Broch and Dahl Torp. I realise it's an obligatory element, but you know you're in trouble when the leading lady has more sexual tension with the actor playing her father than with her love interest.