Stockholm

I love a quirky dark comedy, especially if it stars Ethan Hawke, so I have been eagerly anticipating the release of Stockholm for months.  This movie tells a fictionalized version of the 1973 bank robbery in Stockholm from which the term "Stockholm Syndrome" originated.  An ex-con named Lars Nystrom (Hawke) shoots a gun in the lobby of a bank with the goal of getting Gunnar Sorensson (Mark Strong), his former partner in crime, released from prison.  He takes several hostages, including Bianca Lind (Noomi Rapace), Klara Mardh (Bea Santos), and Elov Eriksson (Mark Rendall), and demands money and a getaway car (like the one Steve McQueen drove in Bullitt) in addition to Sorensson's release.  The incident becomes a media frenzy and the Swedish Prime Minister, Olof Palme (Shanti Roney), refuses to comply with his demands and the Chief of Police (Christopher Heyerdahl) seems more concerned with his own reputation than the welfare of the hostages. As law enforcement becomes more and more desperate and erratic in their attempts to resolve the situation, the hostages, especially Bianca, begin to cooperate with Nystrom.  Besides being an entertaining heist movie that becomes increasingly more bizarre, it is an interesting psychological study that explores the unusual relationship that can develop between captive and captor.  The tone is a little bit uneven but I enjoyed it mainly because of Ethan Hawke, who gives another brilliant performance (I think he is so underrated).  It is so much fun to watch him become completely unhinged!  Rapace also gives a strong performance, especially in a scene where she nervously gives her husband instructions on how to make dinner for their children when she is briefly allowed to speak with him.  I also really liked the 1970s aesthetic and the use of Bob Dylan in the soundtrack.  I had a lot of fun watching this movie and I suspect fans of dark comedies will enjoy it, as well.