74
Metascore
18 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenNot a horror movie but a witty, expertly constructed psychological thriller.
- 83The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThis is a smart, melancholy crime picture, which takes its cues from the title of the perverse old standard Christensen plays on her stereo at night: “You Always Hurt The One You Love.”
- 80The Hollywood ReporterRay BennettThe Hollywood ReporterRay BennettThe film gets seriously weird as it goes along, but without losing its sense of direction or taste for offbeat humor.
- 80VarietyVarietyEntertaining and full of surprising twists, this highly cinematic tale of a Copenhagen policeman working punishment duty in the provinces plays with genre in a manner that can be compared with the Coen brothers or David Lynch.
- 80Village VoiceVillage VoiceCedergren is a little too bland, but that works with Hansen's air of haplessness and sets him apart from the colorful locals. His self-inflicted reckoning is a horizon visible throughout the movie, and the bog outside of town is a thudding but effective metaphor of willful repression.
- 75New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoThe actors are charmingly low-key, and the lensing, by Jorgen Johansson, adds to the offbeat aura. Whatever you do, don't miss the booze-guzzling showdown.
- 75San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoSan Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoIt may not sound funny, but there's a bleakly comic air about the story, and a bit of surrealism, suggesting the most caustic side of the Coen brothers.
- An enjoyably involving mystery-thriller.
- 60Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfThe film is vigorous exercise for those who prefer their mysteries knowing and knotty.
- 60New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanSuch dark doings won't be for everyone, but fans of similarly dry Nordic fare -- like the works of Aki Kaurismaki -- will be happy to have found it.