Director: Niels Arden Oplev
Starring: Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace, Terrence Howard, Dominic Cooper, Isabelle Huppert and F. Murray Abraham
Distributor: Sony Pictures
Runtime: 118 mins. Reviewed in May 2013

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Rating notes: Strong violence

Promotion for Dead Man Down might give the impression that this is an action show. The film is book-ended (film-ended?) by two big shootouts, one is a drug-dealer’s headquarters, the other in a gangster’s mansion. But, for the most part, the film is a drama, a revenge thriller that leads to some deeper characterisations and issues.

After that first confrontation where we see Victor (Colin Farrell) save the life of the gangster, Alphonse (Terrence Howard), where we have made judgments about Victor, Alphonse and their gang, we are led to see a different side of Victor. His being part of the gang is to wreak revenge for the death of his wife and child two years earlier. We see him quietly watching the DVDs of the family.

But, across the way from his apartment – and they are several floors up – there is a woman watching him. Victor has a scarred heart. She has a scarred face, treatment after being hit by a drunk driver. She is Beatrice, French, a beautician, living with her mother. She makes more direct contact with Victor and surprises him and the audience with what she is after.

She is played by Noomi Rapace, the Swedish actress who was the Girl with the Dragon Tatoo. In fact, the film is directed by Niels Arden Oplev, who directed the first film in that Swedish Trilogy, Millennium. And her mother is played by Isabelle Huppert, a bonus for lovers of French films. Another brief bonus is the appearance of F. Murray Abraham as Victor’s uncle.

The world we are shown is certainly a world of violence, with some alarming scenes. And there is the puzzle that we do not see any police.

So this is the story of Victor and Beatrice and their relationship, the revenge motivation that has been mentioned, and the theme of sadness and grief.

There is a further complication with Darcy, a young man hoping to climb the gangster ladder, but who has a wife and young child with Victor as godfather. How does Darcy respond when he learns the truth about Victor.

The screenplay by J.H. Wyman is clever, making all kinds of links with some unexpected connections. However, the no police is a puzzle and there are some convenient plot devices that are contrived. So, realists beware. But, of course, this is not a documentary and contrivance is of the essence of this kind of storytelling. The world is brutal but the story is well told.