En nasjon i sjakk (2026)

	Directed by: John Andreas Andersen	COUNTRY Norway Genre Crime/Thriller/Comedy NORWEGIAN TITLE - RUNNING TIME 115 minutes
	Produced by: Stig Hjerkinn Haug Fredrik Støbakk
	Written by: Christopher Grøndahl

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Anton Block	Pål Sverre Hagen	½
Are Stranger	Tobias Santelmann	½
Frøya Lande	Maria Bonnevie
Viktor Fløysland	Jon Øigarden
Åse	Gina Bernhoft Gørvell	-
Sasha	Dino Kelly	-
Björk Jonsdottir	Penda Faal	½
Tom Myhren	Jonas Hoff Oftebro
Bombe-Syver	Jeppe Beck Laursen	½
Sven Øen	Emil Olafsson
Torvald Astrup	Erland Bakker	-
Einar Jensen	Fredrik Skogsrud	-
Statssekretær	Sara Behr Andersson	-
Ragnhild Fure	Ingvild Holthe Bygdnes	½

Review

En nasjon i sjakk, a Norwegian comedy thriller in the fast-becoming overworked Nordic noir/crime subgenre, makes the clever choice of not taking itself too seriously. In its opening half, the film sizzles with fast-paced, playful storytelling and an aptly audacious set-up: A brilliant terrorist invites the powers that be to an interactive game of chess – in which every conquered piece leads to one government official getting killed. Unfortunately, the cliches start piling up as the playfulness begins to drop off, making the final part of the film underwhelming. The many illogicalities start becoming a distraction as director John Andreas Andersen (Skjelvet, Nordsjøen) resorts to more standard genre conventions in his wrap-up. The star-studded cast are largely fine, particularly the actors who decide to have a bit of fun with their parts (notably Jon Øigarden). 38-year-old Penda Faal is grossly miscast as 45-year-old Pål Sverre Hagen's teenagey foster daughter. This character relationship constitutes the film's emotional core, yet turns out to be its weakest element.