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| The colorful poster for Niels Arden Oplev's Chop Chop |
Chop Chop is the second feature by Danish co-writer-director Niels Arden Oplev (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo/Mænd Der Hader Kvinder (2009)) after his crime drama Portland (1996), which also starred Anders W. Berthelsen (King's Game/Kongespil (2004)).
Two brothers, one slightly retarded, the other indebted to a dubious druggie who boards with them until he can collect, live together in their rural childhood home, as a mysterious woman enters their lives, and macabre mishaps begin turning everything around for them.
The original title of the film is an archaic Danish word for 'saw'. - The key conflict of the movie arises because the brothers loan their neighbor's saw.
Chop Chop is very much a Danish crazy-comedy, which therefore may seem a bit esoteric to outsiders (non-Danes that is), although the DVD I've acquired at least has English subtitles.
The film lends space for some really hilarious Danish actors to go all out with some outrageous characters: Especially secondaries Tommy Kenter (Otto the Rhino (2013), voice) and Birthe Neumann (The Celebration/Festen (1998)) are uproarious as the semi-fascist spying neighbor and his timid housewife. Thomas Bo Larsen (The Hunt/Jagten (2012)) also provides some laughs, often due to his physicality in his acting the part of the ill-fated Finn.
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| Thomas Bo Larsen with the title 'fukssvans' [saw] in Niels Arden Oplev's Chop Chop |
The details:
The movie references Jaws (1975) and Apocalypse Now (1979), but generally, its script (by Oplev and Håkan Lindhé (Family Secrets/Familjehemligheter (2001)) is heavy-handed and lacks upwards motion. Music motifs are over-used and so are catchphrases. The film lacks material. And it doesn't help that Oplev has chosen to use cutting ploys that invoke sit-coms. - The film is already slight.
It also seems to suffer under a budget that's just too small: Boring score music is made up, where original songs were called for; the ending should without question SPOILER have seen the brothers' home getting blown up, but isn't, etc. etc. The photography is nothing to write home about (by Lars Vestergaard (We Shall Overcome/Drømmen (2006)), and the (unsubtle over)lighting is just bad.
Chop Chop is amusing (probably especially to Danes), but it also isn't smart enough to really score, and it has the mark of 'learning picture' written all over it. - Which it probably was for Oplev, who experienced much bigger success later on in his career: After Dragon Tattoo, he was invited to make Dead Man Down (2013), a Hollywood actioner that totally flopped, so he returned home after that to make the more successful (and homely) Speed Walking/Kapgang (2014).
Related review:
Niels Arden Oplev: Speed Walking/Kapgang (2014) - Funny and sweetly nostalgic 70s coming-of-age in rural Denmark
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo/Män Som Hatar Kvinnor (2009) - An exciting adult ride in sadism and mystery from cold cold Sweden
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| Martin Buch and Anders W. Berthelsen before their home in Niels Arden Oplev's Chop Chop |
The trailer for the film is available here, with Spanish subtitles
Cost: Unknown
Box office: Unknown
= Unknown
[But most likely a flop. The film couldn't have faired well outside of Denmark, if it even had theatrical premieres anywhere outside the small Scandinavian country. There, just over 100k people paid admission to see it, which isn't considered a hit (that would be more like at least 250k). The film won one Bodil and two Robert awards (Danish film awards). - 2001 was a weak year in Danish film.]
What do you think of Chop Chop?
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