HEVN (REVENGE) (Kjersti Steinsbø). Subtitled. 102 minutes. Opens Friday (May 27). See Listing. Rating: NNN
On a cold night in Norway, a woman (Siren Jørgensen) arrives at a remote hotel to insinuate herself into the lives of a successful couple (Frode Winther, Helene Bergs-holm). Her agenda is vague, her name an alias. But from the movie’s title – and the knife in her bag – we know she can’t have anything good in mind.
That’s the opening of Hevn (Revenge), a Norwegian/Canadian thriller that’s designed like an airplane novel. That’s not a slight the entire movie is packaged for easy digestion and surface appeal.
Director Kjersti Steinsbø repeatedly frames would-be avenging angel Jørgensen in stylish clothes against a striking fjord as she puts her scheme into motion.
But as for the scheme itself… well, it’s pretty thin. In this post-Stig Björkman era, we expect every new thriller to end with Nazi conspiracies or elaborate chases. But once everyone’s dark secrets and hidden agendas are revealed, Hevn seems weirdly undercooked for all the time we’ve spent on it.
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