Leofwine_draca PIONEER is a retro-feel Norwegian thriller about deep sea diving, particularly the laying of a huge pipeline by a transnational American-owned company. The film has a small scale feel to it, no doubt necessitated by the low budget, so that most of the action consists of a group of men sitting around in a decompression chamber. That's not to say that the film isn't worthwhile, because in many respects it's engrossing and at times gripping.Much of the production's strength comes from the casting of Aksel Hennie, something of a natural when it comes to thrillers having already made HEADHUNTERS and MAX MANUS: MAN OF WAR. This film isn't quite as good as those two, but Hennie is; he's brilliant, in fact. The story draws in the usual conspiracy angles involving imported American actors Wes Bentley and Stephen Lang in somewhat familiar roles, but the sense of tension is palpable and the story is low key but engaging. It's not the type of film that's going to set the world on fire, but it is worth a watch if you're looking for something other than slap-bang entertainment.

Paynebyname Saw this advertised on Sky Movies. The movie poster had an Abyss feel to it, which I guess did the job of getting my interest.The info then described this as a gripping 80's thriller. Believe me, unless your idea of gripping is people sitting around in decompression chambers, jittery flashbacks announced with annoying sound effects and far too much coverage given to the lead guy's fur lined jacket, this couldn't be further from the truth.I watched this for about 50 minutes before the boredom became more crushing than the pressure at the bottom of the Marianas trench.The Wave wasn't bad but after this and the appalling The Last King, I think I'm gonna have to give these Norwegians films a bit of a miss.

Guy PIONEER takes us back to the Norwegian glory days of the 1980s when the North Sea oil boom was about to begin and a balding man in a white vest was considered a good catch. The hero is a deep sea diver who blacks out whilst taking part in a joint Norwegian-American dive to start extracting oil. His brother dies as a result and the hero is sure it's American corporate skulduggery to blame; although as he was unconscious when it happened, he can't be certain. Obviously inspired by the great 1970s realist conspiracy thrillers, this is an excellent film which lets the paranoia and uncertainty build. The hero is just as unreliable as his antagonists, and has a clear stake in proving a conspiracy as it will absolve him for his brother's death. Although made on a small budget, it's lovingly filmed, especially the diving sequences which are full of both wonder and gritty reality. The plot holds up well - especially the counter-intuitive (for Scandis) final revelation - and there are some great low-key chases. If you're looking for a unique thriller than look no further.

Sophie Landry I caught Pioneer, an oil rush thriller set in the early eighties, at the London Film Festival. It was featured as part of 'Thrill' and promised to keep me "on the edge of my seat". The backers, Friland Produksjon, are also responsible for the critically acclaimed Headhunters adapted from Jo Nesbø's novel of the same name and Erik Skjoldbjærg directed the original Insomnia in 1997. What's more, one of Scandinavia's foremost actors and the star of Headhunters, Aksel Hennie, plays Petter, a professional deep-sea diver on a dangerous quest 500 meters down the North Sea. Air composed the soundtrack, Wes Bentley plays a shady character, Norway has glorious scenery and someone dies. 106 minutes would fly by.Pioneer is that rare hybrid: an old school contemporary Norwegian film. The action takes place more than 30 years ago and the cinematography revisits the look and feel of classic late seventies thrillers to depict tensions between oil companies and state government. Here however, an over-reliance on grainy footage, amber and blue filters dims what could have been a series of eerie underwater voyages, as well as unfortunately, any real suspense. Instead it gives the audience a sensation akin to the claustrophobia of Das Boot without the sense of dread that pervaded it. Pioneer's omnipresent soundtrack creates an even greater disconnect where Das Boot had us trapped with a sombre Jürgen Prochnow inside a silent submarine during World War II.The premise is excellent. It centers on the discovery of large resources of oil and gas at the bottom of the frozen North Sea. We are at the very beginning of the Norwegian Oil Boom which resulted in Norway's prosperity and high standard of living. Petter and Knut (André Eriksen) are brothers and colleagues involved in government-funded petroleum explorations and highly dangerous diving tests conducted in the great depths of the North Sea to establish whether pipelines can be installed. Just as we get to know the main characters, tragedy strikes. A compelling actor in whose performance there was barely enough time to get invested is gone too soon.Pioneer is a well-intended production which had to make difficult stylistic choices to stretch a Scandinavian budget over expensive action scenes. It tries to be too many things at once and falls short of carrying significance beyond what is seen. Wes Bentley, so good in American Beauty, is confined to a redundant secondary role devoid of genuine purpose. He walks around looking sinister and utters a few English words here and there. Ironically, the dialog lacks depth. Clichés, particularly in the depiction of gender relations, often stand for character development. Obvious symbolism such as bodies of water representing femininity and a full moon to signal rebirth do not challenge the audience much.Erik Skjoldbjærg said he was "heavily influenced by The Conversation, Chinatown and All The President's Men" in his desire to revive the seventies conspiracy thriller. I wish he had also named the older 2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick and exploited more of the dramatic Norwegian coast to better contrast deep sea-diving drama with conflicting human interests above ground.My verdict? Watch Insomnia on DVD and wait for Gravity.