Enforcement (2020) User Reviews

Really well shot and acted, but the ending was disappointing

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 7/10 · 25 March 2021]

Joint writers and directors Hviid and Olholm gave us a beautifully shot film with excellent cinematography, but fell short in the screenplay, especially the ending that made it seem they ran out of money.

The conceptual story, although not original, was great, especially their parable about walking a mile in someone else's shoes. But the screenplay felt dragged out with too many unnecessary scenes, giving the 108 min runtime a feel of too much filler for the little substance it gave us. This film should've been cut down to about 80-90 mins max.

What really bothered me was the lack of some type of ending. I get that many thrillers will leave the ending up to the viewers imagination, but for the investment made following the characters around for 108 mins, and with more than one conflict needing some type of resolution, chopping the ending to, well, not really any ending, made it feel like they ran out of time and or/money. For that, I automatically took off one star.

The casting and performances were great, and the score was on point. So overall it was a decent one time watch, and I'd recommend it if you're a fan of this genre, but I wouldn't see it again. It's certainly no 10/10, but also not worthy of all the 1's from the wannabe critics - it was shot and directed too well, and that alone deserves at least a 4. So it's a 7/10 from me, but would've been at least an 8 if the writing was tighter with... a proper ending.

Starting off intense, but quickly slows down..

[mrtennet · 6/10 · 26 February 2021]

Feeling a but misled by the trailer that shows a very intense police hunt in a danish suburb. The movie also starts off like this, but the intensity quickly slows down and there is a lot of waiting, slow talking and the police officers just hiding from the riot. Great acting from the two police officers though and the directing and everything felt top notch.

Overall a pretty good police drama, with moments of action. We were two couples watching it together at home and fifty percent of us were sleeping half way in the movie.

Gets it right.

[ValleDk · 7/10 · 10 October 2020]

Thumbs up. First og all great performance by everyone. And second the action is Way better this time for Danish Movie standards, and besides the Movie gets quite a few things right, such as cops Can be bad, and a Young man with Dark skin Can be harrassed, and the system is not flawless, and people do change when they come close to the reality, and some make mistakes and regrets Them. So glad that they showed these things from different angels, and Got Them spot on. Well done.

Assault on Precinct 13 meets Les Misérables

[searchanddestroy-1 · 26 December 2021]

Or even BAC NORD, if you prefer...It is a very modern crime drama, which is really related to the actual events that happen in France and also I guess in many other countries. So, it is normal to find this kind of topic on screen. This one is obviously careful not to be under the influence of the US way of story telling, and directing. It is efficient, made in a realistic way, but the good cop bad cop scheme is the main weak point of this film about the ghetto genre, after LES MISERABLES, BAC NORD, SNABBA CASH. Though this latest focused mainly on the punks and not the police after them. The only link with John Carpenter's film is the cops alone against an army of hoodlums. But it was in another time, forty five years ago. Characters are shown in such a way that you know this is not a propaganda film for or against police, even police brutality, or against the ghetto population, including the hoodlums. The ending is unfortunately a failure and could have been better. The only good thing is that was not predictable.

The end...

[odaleg · 6/10 · 19 May 2023]

The approach of this film promises a lot, but its execution is not the best and it ends up becoming an almost generic cop movie with a pretty bad ending. We are promised a police drama that will address issues such as discrimination, racism or abuse of power and it remains just that, promises.

The film quickly becomes a standard cop movie which makes it a mediocre film as its approach is not that of a cop movie so it dilutes its initial spirit to try something it is not.

The ending gives the viewer the feeling that it is the end of another movie because you don't feel the death of the teenager, it feels like just another death in a generic action movie and since you haven't empathized with, nor known, the two policemen you don't feel their fear of the consequences of the murder as your own.

An unlikely mix: Les Misérables/ La Haine, blended with Escape from New York

[chrislawuk · 7/10 · 25 June 2021]

Its more a Hollywood style movie than a euro thriller, but the themes of racism, corruption, and police violence are thrown in there for contemporary social conscience reasons at least. Not sure which side the production is on, as the ending leans towards a survival of the fittest theme. The police are certainly not portrayed as being heroic in anyway through out the film though. Although others did not seem to like the ending, I have to give it credit for avoiding cliches. Its definately not a pro police film, but does attempt to show, both, the sides of the police, and the impoverished exploited ethnic minorities in Denmarks ghettos. Its not over sentimental and there are some surprising character arcs. There are better movies out there, but I quite enjoyed it. Despite the heavy thematic elements at play, I feel this movie was made for entertainment.

Good movie! Watch it on a weekend with beers and pizza

[freddy_at_home · 7/10 · 11 February 2021]

I am one of those who are pretty tired of fake reviews. No need to make fake reviews about this movie, it's a pretty good movie without the "over the top" reviews made by some random crew or what ever.

It's not Judge Dredd (as some said) and it's not pumping action from start till end (also said) but it's a good solid quality Danish movie. A bit of a gangster feel, but not much really. If this had been an American movie, it would have been just another typical cop movie. But being a Danish movie, it's not like that and it feels a bit deeper.

You can read all about what it's about, so skipping all that. I think it was a good pizza-weekend-movie and it wasn't boring. It had a good story and good acting all over. This is no big CGI movie, and more of a character and story building movie. A big relevant story these days. I believed in it.

I liked it, so did my buds. We agreed on it being entertaining enough and it kept us off the phone. But, one or two almost cracked. Just almost... There really isn't anything new about this movie, that we haven't seen before. But as I wrote over here, being Danish. it gave a different feel about it.

Worth checking out! Me and my friends ended up on a 7 out of 10

A good Danish «End of Watch»

[pm698 · 7/10 · 10 July 2021]

Impressive photography, atmosphere and acting in this Danish "End of Watch". Although not quite believable it still creates believable characters with nerve and exciting action. Good acting where emotions are suggested rather than explained through dialogue. Recommended if you like "send of Watch" og "Training day"

Super intense movie

[klauslangholz · 9/10 · 15 September 2020]

If you are to watch one police movie all year, then this is it. I won't spoil too much, but you are sucked in from the first five minutes and left breathless for the rest of movie. Absolute must see. Especially, if you're Danish of course.

Cinema Omnivore - Enforcement (2020) 6.7/10

[lasttimeisaw · 7/10 · 26 May 2021]

"ENFORCEMENT falls by the wayside when the good cop Jens is subjected to a fatal mistake, so as to pull through the about-face plot device and obscure the two cops' apparent discrepancy. Only the director-duo's tactic has no flair, it is leaden and arbitrary (like the coincidence-and-inexplicability-riddled plot), and a deal-breaking failing is that Muslims are treated as black-or-white ciphers (the radical rascals versus the good-hearted innocents), Hviid and Ølholm fails to fashion anything even remotely intelligent from the Muslim's point of view, exactly because of their own white privilege, this is their blind spot. The film may sound and look like an inspiring story against racism, but it is tired and jaundiced, pandering to white Danes and not doing right by the ethnic group. Again, diversity should be enforced within every and each position of the business, otherwise, it is reduced to tokenism."

read the full review on my blog: cinema omnivore, thansk.

Has promise, but fails to deliver

[kevinlloyd-26393 · 4/10 · 29 March 2021]

I found the story compelling and interesting and promising, and the intense premise kept me watching and wanting to know what would happen, but I just found myself disappointed.

Great acting and solid writing, but I was frustrated by the directing to some extent, particularly the poorly filmed or edited fight scenes.

I appreciated the good cop, bad cop theme, but found that just fell apart over the course of the movie. For some reason the focus shifted from the good cop and the person he was protecting, to a long stretch where all we saw was the bad cop and what he was dealing with, even though we lost all sympathy for him by that point and didn't really care to get to know him. That didn't make any sense.

The final moments were certainly a twist, and also didn't make sense. Honestly a lot of build up and suspense for a weak ending.

In all, this movie had promise, but ultimately fails to deliver.

We're All Human

[westsideschl · 8/10 · 24 August 2021]

Danish, mostly balanced, POV on police excessive force vs. Self protection. You're in a job that pays really well w/quick retirement, however each day you go to work not knowing if you'll be alive that evening. You see the worst of humanity in a continuous stream of encounters; you're trained to ignore yet you're still human; perhaps, at some point, we all will collapse under those stressors. Sometimes you encounter someone who's fifty pounds heavier; five inches taller; and verbally assertive while being physically non-compliant; they know what buttons to push & relish that taunting. They have little to lose; little education; no or poor job prospects; just hanging out; maybe some petty crimes to get by. You've seen this countless times on countless days & like all humans we want our jobs to be easy & safe so we react back in kind. Eventually, statistically, an accident (perhaps deadly) is bound to occur. Thus a storyline told around the world.

Falls short

[christo-48677 · 6/10 · 25 June 2021]

It kind of reminds me a bit of assault on precinct 13, the 1970s film but falls short, would have been better with subs than being dubbed.

The story is just not believable

[thomas-1094 · 5/10 · 28 February 2021]

The movie suffers from a story that is just too far from reality to be believable. The main plot is interesting, but I really struggled to believe the characters and the details in the story. It tries to portray a somewhat political message without succeeding and it ends up just being too predictable.

Brilliant suspense thriller with amazing acting

[fergal-952-215154 · 9/10 · 2 November 2020]

Hard to say just how good this movie is. It is a brilliant character study on one level and deeply provocative on another. It is a buddy cop movie like I have never seen before; and the first few minutes give no indication of what is about to unfold. The story arc is simplicity, complexity and elegance all mixed together. The main characters do not say too much - they don't have to - the story catches you up in a whirlwind and does not lay you down until the final scene. I will not spoil it for you - suffice to say this is one of the best movies to come out of Denmark in a long time. The acting of the three main characters is also sublime.

So very unrealistic

[jimbolino-1 · 5/10 · 4 April 2021]

Decent up until the 36th minute...from that point almost every scene is highly unrealistic.

Best danish movie in years!

[nickochris · 9/10 · 10 October 2020]

This movie nails it. First of all acting is top notch, story is super with all the right elements and dilemmas thrown in. I'm not easily impressed, but this is genuine movie entertainment at its best. Hollywood worthy, check it out.

Sorry - no fun

[fropp · 5/10 · 12 June 2021]

Snake Pliskin is back!? It seems so. But no, it isnt. Dont fool the viewer. Bad Ending. Nothing new. In the middle you think they are getting it right. But unfortunately not.

Shorta = Police on arabic

[mmuggi · 9/10 · 12 October 2020]

Shorta is a rarely seen Danish Action thriller. The acting is really good throughout, and the film crew has put themselves in the saddle trying to make the police work methods as close to reality as possible, which succeeded pretty well. Yes, the film is a bit Americanized, with helicopters across the fictional Ghetto - Svalegården, but the film is so insanely nuanced, and with exciting action sequences and an oppressive atmosphere, the film is one of the best Danish films I have seen in 2020. It's a shame, however, was Simon Sears's Jens Høyer's fate, which I really wanted a different ending to. Besides that, Shorta can go on to become a real Danish film gem.

What?? Really??

[Replik · 3/10 · 27 June 2021]

What's with all the 10??? Are you kidding me?

Such an unreal movie. My god the writting🤢.

Do yourself a favour and watch an apple.

Good police thriller

[MiguelAReina · 8/10 · 1 February 2021]

One of the best police thrillers of 2020 is this Danish production that deals with topics such as racism and police violence with intelligence. Although it builds a plot that can sometimes be implausible, especially in terms of police behavior, first-time directors manage to maintain the suspense without the need for very spectacular action scenes. The film presents more psychological aspects than pure action, and makes the viewer change the perspective in front of the main characters, finding nuances in each of them.

Strike while the irons HOT I suppose

[garycn-41901 · 3/10 · 22 May 2021]

This seemed little more than a project attempting to "strike while the iron is hot" tbh... Extremely "underwhelming" for the most part.. Denmark should fight a bit harder to fend off the exterior pressure to start makiing "Netflix quality" films and keep hold of its superior reign on making QUALITY films.. without selling viewers or the public out ...

I was really let down with this one knowing what I was looking at seemed more of a "tribute to Netflix" than serious film making of any kind... Theres just not a great deal "right" with this one.. many "technical mistakes" ... the entire time I had but one thought in my mind... "Pandering to whom exactly"? Seems we can not make films now days (ones intended for these streaming platforms nearly straight away) without making authority and defenders of our societys somehow the bad guys... With every turn in plot..it resembles more of a knife digging deeper into your gut rather than revealing anything of real quality...

This is quite possibly the lowest score Ive ever given to a Danish film.. as usually they are brilliant.. This one is not.. its "pandering to a leftist mob " without remotely attempting to be honest with the viewer....

Best danish movie in years

[zathan-32848 · 8/10 · 20 March 2021]

A fantastic movie. This is a great story very true to what scandinavian police have to deal with in many of our ghettos. splendid acting and high production quality. Dont watch the dubbed version. stick to danish with subtitles if you need it.

Don't know what to say

[raphaelridwan · 1/10 · 23 February 2021]

Unrealistic, boring, too much talking, childish characters. Whoever wrote the story, they should change their careers period. Don't waste your money to watch this so called movie bruh...

Riveting good cop/bad cop crime drama from Denmark

[paul-allaer · 8/10 · 9 January 2022]

As "Enforcement" (2020 release from Denmark; 108 min.; original title "Shorta") opens, we are reminded that "Shorta" is the Arabic term for "police". We immediately switch to an intense scene in which cops use excessive force to arrest an Arab teenager, and immediately tensions rise in the Arab-dominated housing projects in Copenhagen. We are then introduced to Jens and Mike, two cops who are being teamed up for the day. "I'd rather commit suicide than ride with Mike for 8 hours", comments a female colleague of Jens. Turns out that Mike just might have a short fuse, if not worse... At this point we are 10 min into the movie.

Couple of comments: this is the feature-length directing debut of Danish writer Ander Olholm. And what a debut this turns out to be! Almost from the get-go, Olholm creates a tense, at times almost unbearably tense, mood, pitting Danish cops against the large Arab community in Copenhagen. The movie is plot-heavy, so I am biting my tongue to avoid spilling anything. Suffice it to say that at the beginning of the film, Jens and Mike are portrayed as the "good cop, bad cop" routine. But does this hold up as the movie unfolds? Besides the crime drama aspects, the movie also reflects on the larger social and humanitarian aspects of the situation. It is important to keep in mind that Denmark is in Western Europe the least-friendly country when it comes to dealing with Arab migrants. The Danish immigration laws are border-line racist, to be honest (in 2021, Inger Stojberg, a former Danish Minister responsible for immigration matters in the prior government, was convicted after a court found her actions to be unconstitutional and racist--she didn't apologize or expressed remorse after the court's verdict and is now facing jail). Politics aside, I find the English movie title interesting: does "Enforcement" refer to "enforcing the laws" or does it refer to "more backup forces are needed"? Frankly both explanations are plausible. In the end, I was captured by this movie from start to finish, and found it to be one of the best police drama movies I've seen in a long, long time.

"Enforcement" was released in Europe in the Fall of 2020, and was released in the US on Hulu in Spring of 2021. I only recently found out about this film after it was mentioned by NPR as being one of their best movies of 2021. Better late than never, but I couldn't agree more! If you are in the mood for a very intense cop drama (European style), I'd readily suggest you check this out on Hulu or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.