Varg Veum - Tornerose (2008)

Preceded by: Varg Veum - Bitre Blomster (2007)
Succeeded by: Varg Veum - Din til døden (2008)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Varg Veum	Trond Espen Seim
Anna Skjelstad	Katherine Fagerland	½
Hamre	Bjørn Floberg
Isachsen	Endre Hellestveit
Lisa	Julie Rusti
Vigdis Halle	Marianne Nielsen
Niels Halle	Bjørn Willberg Andersen	½
Vera Werner	Ågot Sendstad

Review

The second entry in the Varg Veum series finds the highly talented Erik Richter Strand (Sønner) in the director's chair. This is no time for directorial capers, however, because stylistically and formally Tornerose picks up where Bitre Blomster left off, probably controlled by the producers Allen and Bose. The two films have many of the same strengths. The most prominent of these being the delightful rivalry between Seim and Floberg, in which we are given a welcomed portion of some sorely missed clever masculinity. All scenes with these two players are sheer thespian class. The unfolding of the crime premise is well done too - until it all becomes a little too far-fetched, and the performers (notably Nielsen and Sendstad) are placed in situations they cannot relate to. And Strand isn't able (or allowed) to bring the depth necessary to justify the audacious final part of the story. Seim and Floberg, on the other hand, have all they need to yank each other around the set for many more films to come.