When Musa (Zaki Youssef – The Looming Tower) leaves his assumed dead mates after crashing a stolen car, he wanders off into the wild. Seriously injured and with only a large bag of stolen money on him, he bumps into Martin (Rasmus Bjerg – The Way to Mandalay), who’s trying his best to take life back into his own hands. Clearly dealing with the effects of his midlife crisis, Martin is set on disconnecting with reality as we know it, by living like a Viking. With Musa by his side, this lost duo isn’t just on the run for the people and authorities looking for them, but also outrunning the truths they eventually have to face.
Co-writer Morten Pape and director Thomas Daneskov use Norway’s beautiful scenery and Scandinavia’s dark sense of humour to create a Nordic crime comedy that pulls your heartstrings while adding a lot more violence and gore than you’d expect from this type of film. Reminiscent of Taika Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Wild Men takes you on an unexpected journey of self-discovery, while the main cast embraces you like a warm hug.
Bjerg and Youssef are equally to thank for making this movie work the way it does. Both actors give something completely different and effortlessly bounce off each other, making this journey through the Nordic wild a pleasant yet thrilling experience.
Wild Men is one of those films that can change the way you view life.
Wild Men is in cinemas 6 May from Blue Finch Film Releasing: https://wildmen.co.uk/
Reviewed May 1, 2022 (screener provided by publicist) Rating: TBC. Running time: 104 min.
PRODUCTION: A Blue Finch Film Releasing release of a Nordisk Film / SPRING production. Producer: Lina Flint. Executive producer: Henrik Zein.
CREW: Director: Thomas Daneskov. Writers: Thomas Daneskov & Morten Pape. Editing: Julius Krebs Damsbo. Cinematography: Jonatan Rolf Mose. Music: Ola Fløttum.
CAST: Rasmus Bjerg, Zaki Youssef, Bjørn Sundquist, Sofie Gråbøl, Marco Ilsø, Jonas Bergen Rahmanzadeh, Håkon T. Nielsen, Tommy Karlsen, Rune Temte.