It's a strange time people lived in. This is quickly confirmed in the first scene of "The Riot" when our young, Swedish-born hero Konrad is sold as a child slave at an auction. He eventually escapes as a teenager (Otto Fahlgren) and makes his way to the mining town of Sulitjelma. There he joins the bearded workers in the mine just as tyranny from the company's new Swedish boss (Simon J. Berger) inspires a strike.
It's a classic tale of the boy who becomes a man, learns about right and wrong and, not least, the struggle of the honest working class against greedy corporate bosses and violent authorities. As we have seen with many of Norway's lavish disaster films in recent years, they can move nicely with a steady budget and this time it is also polished and well made. Especially the costume and set design departments have done their part to convince us what era we are in.
The ensemble is also stable, with Swedish star Fahlgren excellent in his first leading role. Norwegian names like Stig Henrik Hoff ("The Emigrants"), Alexandra Gjerpen ("22 July"), Rune Temte ("Captain Marvel") and Reidar Sørensen ("The Headhunters") are worth watching in supporting roles that are not overly developed. Berger is good as always but the role is a bit sloppily written, as is the rest of the script.
Because even though it's a captivating story, it becomes a bit overloaded with clichés. Like when Konrad, like a little mouse, enters the old man's cabin and hears macho comments like "There's no room for weakness here". Or several, somewhat choreographed fights that erupt out of nowhere, including a record-breaking bar fight with violin music that would make a drunken Irishman reach for the shame pillow.
Where the story of frustrated workers' struggle against injustice is most compelling, the focus often falls on Konrad's mob-like relationship with Berger's cowboy-styled antagonist, who in one scene is lit like a comic book villain. Nor does the wise mentor or inevitable love story with a maid add much.
But Nils Gaup, the director of the classic "Pathfinder", still has a good grip on the pace and cranks up the tension to a (literally) explosive finale. The impressive craftsmanship and talent behind and in front of the camera makes you overlook some flaws. The Hollywood vibes comes back with a cool surface that compensates for the thin content.
Rating: 3/5
