Review: Varg Veum: Het uur van de wolf – Varg Veum – In the darkness all wolves are gray (2011)

Director: Alexander Eik | 90 minutes | action, crime, thriller | Actors: Trond Espen Seim, Lene Nystrøm, Bjørn Floberg, Jonathan Espolin, George Mendel, Ane Dahl Torp, Jon Øigarden

Private investigator Varg Veum is the brainchild of Norwegian writer Gunnar Staalesen. The character first appeared in 1977. In 2007, a film about the grumpy antihero appeared for the first time. Good timing, because interest in Scandinavian thrillers has risen sharply in recent years. Thanks to series like “The Killing” and of course “Millennium”. The popularity of Veum is steadily increasing and the books have already been translated into Dutch, English, Swedish, Danish and German.

What makes Veum so interesting is that he’s so damn human. Sometimes he is unpleasant, rude, clumsy and obnoxious. This detective has mood swings and that makes him very empathetic. His cynical humor also gives him his own face. Norwegian actor Trond Espen Seim has made the character his own and it is a pleasure to watch him. Actually, the boyish Veum is an adult teenager who likes to kick the shins every now and then.

In “Varg Veum: The Hour of the Wolf,” Veum is shaken up by an explosion. A gun shop just outside his beloved city of Bergen has been blown up. The explosion claimed a number of lives and it is up to Veum to catch the culprit (s). He can count on the help of policeman Hamre. The fact that the strong arm of the law and the private investigator cannot always pass through one door does not make it any easier. Veum also receives a major blow when he learns that an old friend of his has been murdered. There’s a link between the murder and the blast. The antihero gets caught in a deadly game between an international paramilitary organization and a weapons manufacturer.

What is striking about this film is that there is a surprising amount of action in it. You have never seen Veum in motion so much. Although that is at the expense of the character deepening, that in itself is not so problematic. The spectacle is beautifully portrayed and Espen Seim can also handle faster and more dynamic scenes. In addition to the slick action scenes, “Varg Veum: The Hour of the Wolf” also has some surprising plot twists in store for you. The plot is well put together and the atmospheric soundtrack completes it. This more action-oriented film from the “Varg Veum” series is fine.