Kongen av Bastøy 2010

Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: "King of Devil's Island" is surprisingly effective, and affecting, given the familiarity of its material. Read more

Stephen Holden, New York Times: Its refusal to adopt a single point of view may be conceptually ambitious, but it keeps the drama unfocussed, and slightly off balance. Read more

Alison Willmore, Time Out: Imagine a Cool Hand Luke that swaps out star-vehicle pleasures for gray Scandinavian suffering, and you'd have something like Marius Holst's prison drama set in 1915 Norway. Read more

Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times: [An] austere and occasionally stirring yarn. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Moody atmospherics enhance the conventional structure, and Holst's solid storytelling balances the heavy-handed symbolism. Read more

V.A. Musetto, New York Post: Holst gives the proceedings a fresh look, thanks to sturdy acting, direction and cinematography. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: The film plays well, and is involving, but in one form or another, this is a story often told. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: Possibly no one else does "grim" with as much unsparing enthusiasm as the Scandinavians. Read more

Tom Huddleston, Time Out: Rather one-note in its bleakness, and doesn't have a vast amount to say beyond 'reform school sucks'. Read more

Bruce Demara, Toronto Star: Skarsgard is riveting throughout as a man whose high morality is steeped in hypocrisy and whose mask of civility easily slips, when challenged, to reveal the monster beneath. Read more

Alissa Simon, Variety: Watchable if not entirely engrossing, this classically lensed tale about the misuse of power offers sweeping panoramas, stunning snowy landscapes, stock character types and a creakily generic narrative. Read more

Michael Atkinson, Village Voice: A brooding, evocative Norwegian juvie-hell drama set in 1915... Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: As the stone-faced and venal governor, Skarsgard is excellent. So is Helstad as Erling, the film's strong, if tragic hero. Read more