6/10
Not the Coen Brothers
4 February 2008
This Icelandic film has a feel of Fargo, but comes up short despite the stars attached.

The scenery is bleak and depressing, just like Iceland in the winter. It adds the right atmosphere to a murder/insurance scam. There are some obvious plot holes, and it seems to drag a bit at times, but the story is fascinating and the characters are favorites.

Forest Whitaker (The Great Debaters, The Last King of Scotland) is a claims adjuster and tries to wring the last dime out of his clients, just as his boss (Peter Coyote) does. They are ruthless about the fine print in a contract.

Whitaker is investigating a crash where the victim burned to a crisp. He is like Columbo the way he asks questions and keeps hammering until he gets at the truth. Julia Stiles (The Bourne trilogy, The Omen) is supposedly living with her husband and son, and it is her brother that is supposedly dead in the crash (we all know different, but she doesn't), but Whitaker ferrets out the truth.

Of course, he falls for her - who wouldn't - and this leads to a strange Coen Brothers ending.

It was a nice ride getting there.
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