‘Trouble’ (2024) Netflix Movie Review - Drugs, Murder, and Plenty of Chaos

Jon Holmberg's Trouble (aka, Strul) starts with a frenzy of excitement. I have not seen Jonas Frick's similarly titled 1988 action comedy, but its premise looks almost identical to this Holmberg production. The story deals with Conny (Filip Berg), a divorced salesperson (in Frick's film, he is a chemistry teacher), getting wrongfully imprisoned for murder. His ex-wife has found a new partner, but when the movie begins, he is still single, playing a flight simulator game because that new partner is a pilot. Before Conny is framed for the murder, he is seen calibrating a television. He behaves a bit rudely in front of the customer, Mimmi (Sissela Benn), so the trouble he finds himself in initially looks like some sort of comeuppance. When Conny is taken to the police station, he is surprised to see Diana (Amy Deasismont). Diana is also equally astonished because she and Conny have already met each other briefly before this moment. She encounters him at his workplace without knowing that he works there. Conny recommends noise-canceling headphones to Diana as a polite stranger, but when his boss calls his name, everything becomes clear to Diana, leading to awkwardness between them. Even during this interrogation scene, the awkwardness finds its way between them once again when Diana's colleague takes her chair, making her look like an insignificant police officer.

Trouble, however, is the kind of film that shouldn't be spoiled through plot discussions. What's the story about? This is a useless question. While watching Trouble, what fills you with pleasure is the way the story progresses. Holmberg, with writer Tapio Leopold, has developed an amusingly chaotic series of accidents. I was both surprised and tickled. Every detail is carefully planted and important - they have a funny payoff. The script's contrivances, and calculations, yield comically satisfying rewards. Observe how a photograph, a video game practice, or a smart TV feature comes back later at the most unexpected moment. Conny is conveniently put into specific spots and situations so that the movie can delightfully cackle. Some of the scenes unfold so casually that I couldn't believe what I was seeing, with a broad smile, of course. I am thinking about that moment when Conny hides inside Mimmi's closet. Also, notice how easily he gets out of and returns to ...discover for yourself.

The shaky, panicky camera infuses these scenes with a sense of spontaneity and freshness. It feels as if the filmmakers are discovering their story along with the characters. The hectic atmosphere keeps you on edge and converts the jokes into nail-biting but also diverting twists and turns. You happily accept this tone without thinking about whether the filmmakers will be able to maintain this momentum. Trouble is exciting till that airport scene where the prisoners try to escape through a plane, leading to a series of developments resulting in Conny trying to escape from the police officers. As soon as the scene ends, the movie takes a deep breath and calms down. From this point onwards, Trouble stops being very pleasurable. The tone is still light-hearted, but you miss the comical chaos - that wildly appealing pressure cooker environment. Those TV scenes aren't as good as, say, that tunnel sequence. The movie goes from being awesome to just watchable. It's not a bad demotion, but you sorely miss the corybantic fun.

Final Score- [7/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times