Released from prison after 15 years, Anker (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) plans to recover stolen loot that his brother, Manfred (Mads Mikkelsen), buried in the woods for him before he was caught. However, Manfred has mental health issues and appears unable or unwilling to reveal the exact location. To complicate things further, Anker’s psychotic ex-partner in crime is after him so he can have the money for himself.
Anders Thomas Jensen’s black comedy is a curious beast. With its heavy handed animated sections that bookend the film, it is clearly meant as a plea for tolerance and inclusivity. But he also is happy to look for laughs in the odd things that mentally challenged people say and do and he is sporadically successful in that. At nearly two hours though, it is at least 20 minutes too long. Manfred starts to believe he is John Lennon and there is too much time spent on him forming a band with other guys who think they are Beatles members.
However, it is mostly entertaining enough and has a couple of great performances by Sofie Gråbøl and Søren Malling as a mismatched couple who own the house that Manfred and Anker grew up in.
Rating: 6 out of 10