@Cineworld Sun 25 Jun and Tue 27 June 2017

Part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival

Once a delinquent gang member, Iraqi-born Zaid (Dar Salim) has pulled himself up by his bootstraps and forged a successful career as a surgeon in Copenhagen. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of his younger brother Yasin (Anis Alobaidi), who has failed to extricate himself from the web of organised crime that provides both his sustenance and a continual source of terror. After a botched bank job, Yasin is brutally sacrificed to the Danish mafia gods, prompting an unforeseen and bloody response from the once-reformed Zaid.

A typically gritty Scandinavian thriller, Darkland is a superb revenge movie which not only engages the viewer through its gripping plot and breakneck pace, but also asks deeper questions about how plausible such storylines are in real life and at what cost they would come to the avenger. Is it worth forfeiting a life of comparable luxury and peace in order to gain some semblance of revenge for the loss of a loved one? And how would such a decision affect others outwith the criminal underworld? There is even time for questions of racial profiling and the prejudice of police in urban environments, as well as the value (or not) in staying true to your roots.

With some excellent cinematography, a complementary score and superbly-paced writing, Darkland is Tom Clancy meets The Bridge; an utterly compelling revenge flick from start to finish. Though things get a little far-fetched as we near the final curtain, it remains an enthralling watch and deserves to take its place among other revenge classics such as Oldboy, Dead Man’s Shoes and Drive. A must-watch for action and thriller fans alike.