Retrospective: Kongekabale / King's Game (2004)

[Kam-Hung Soh]

Eleven days before a Danish general election, the opposition Centre 
Party is riding high in the polls. Then, the unexpected happens: their 
leader is hospitalized due to an accident. Deputy leader, Lone Kjeldsen 
(Nastja Arcel) makes a tilt for the leadership. When journalist Ulrik 
Torp (Anders W. Berthelsen), recently appointed to the parliamentary 
news desk, starts getting wind of a possible fraud committed by Lone's 
husband, Mads (Lars Brygmann), he wonders he's a pawn in a party coup. 
Could it be organized by the shadow finance minister Erik Dreier Jenssen 
(Søren Pilmark) and his press secretary Peter Schou (Lars Mikkelsen)?

This film criticizes the media's cosy relationship with political 
parties and government, where the press is all too willing to 
participate in spin rather than to discover the truth. However, it's not 
subtle in presenting this point of view: Ulrik seems much too idealistic 
and naïve to have lasted long in journalism, Lone is too ineffectual to 
be the deputy of a political party and Dreier just radiates animosity. 
Also, Nicolas Bro, as free-lance journalist Henrik Moll, gives Ulrik an 
unexpected lecture on the problems of the modern media.

After getting that message off their chests, writer Rasmus Heisterberg 
and co-writer and director Nikolaj Arcel pick up the pace, making the 
second half of the film a more involving thriller.

Moderately good thriller, though a little too contrived and earnest at 
the start.

Danish with English subtitles

3 out of 5 stars.
28 February 2009
Kam-Hung Soh
http://morvahouse.blogspot.com