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- Trouble‘s Premise, Explained
- Trouble’s Damming Nice Guy Movie Cliché, Explained
- Reactions to Trouble’s Cliché-Ridden Tropes
As a film enthusiast with decades of movie-watching under my belt, I must say that Trouble, while entertaining, falls into some well-worn tropes that left me scratching my head more than once. Now, don’t get me wrong – I love a good laugh and this movie certainly delivers on the comedic front. But when it comes to storytelling devices, it seems like we’ve been here, done that…and bought the t-shirt!
A modern adaptation of the 1988 Swedish action-comedy titled “Strul,” known as “Trouble,” has been added to Netflix on October 3, 2024. The story revolves around Conny (Filip Berg), a regular, good-natured salesman and recent divorcee who unwittingly gets mixed up in a crime, landing him in trouble for a murder he didn’t commit, resulting in his imprisonment.
In an effort to portray Conny’s innocence and peaceful character, the film unfortunately succumbs to numerous stereotypical action-movie tropes, disregarding “nice guy” movie conventions. The most noticeable example of this is a comedic action scene that, while intended to highlight Conny’s moral qualities, stretches the film’s believability to an extreme limit. A critical analysis of the film’s over-the-top cliché might assist undecided viewers in determining if the absurd crime-comedy is worth watching.
Trouble’s Premise, Explained
Starting October 3, 2024, on Netflix, you’ll find the Swedish action-comedy titled “Trouble,” directed by Jon Holmberg and co-written with Tapio Leopold. This film is a modern take on the 1988 Swedish comedy “Strul,” directed by Jonas Frick. The story revolves around Conny (Berg), who’s struggling to cope after his recent divorce, working in electronics sales.
In his limited options for joy, spending time with his daughter Julia (Isabelle Aronsson) is all that gives meaning and happiness to Conny. However, in a typical scenario from an action film, where being at the wrong place at the wrong time often leads to trouble, Conny finds himself in such a predicament when he goes to install a television for a client one day and accidentally witnesses a murder. Knocked unconscious soon after, he’s falsely accused, put on trial, and ultimately sentenced to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Matters worsen for Conny behind bars as he encounters two inmates, Musse (Joakim Sallquist) and Norinder (Dejan Cukic), who hatch an unwise escape plan.
The escape strategy consistently fails, which leaves unfortunate Conny with limited possibilities to be freed and rejoin his beloved daughter. Despite the movie being presented humorously to emphasize Conny’s clumsy character, there is one particular scene that stands out in a negative way.
Trouble’s Damming Nice Guy Movie Cliché, Explained
Despite the light-hearted, humorous tone of the crime film, there’s a conspicuous moment that echoes typical “good guy” movie tropes, jarringly disrupting the narrative flow. As Conny frantically evades pursuers in an airport, he encounters a man brandishing a lethal weapon.
In the heat of the fight, Conny manages to subdue the adversary and seize the weapon. However, in a scene reminiscent of a spoof film, Conny decides to flee from the attacker rather than employing the weapon for self-defense. Although this action aligns with Conny’s peaceful moral code, it mirrors a common plot device frequently used in action movies. The Nice Guy archetype often portrays a virtuous, compassionate character who either evades confrontations or handles problems by sidestepping them.
Instead of the typical Bond villain trope where the final adversary reveals their entire evil plan through lengthy explanations, it’s akin to the predictable scenario where the last henchman flees after the hero decimates their forces. Although these storytelling conventions have been widely used, they often stretch credibility beyond reason. In the movie Trouble, Conny’s decision to retreat from his enemy after a prolonged fight and snatching his weapon is questionable.
Reactions to Trouble’s Cliché-Ridden Tropes
The film has generally been met with favorable feedback for its light-hearted, playful approach that doesn’t overdo the seriousness. Although it hasn’t earned a rating on Rotten Tomatoes yet, the three reviews available so far commend Holmberg’s humorous direction and Berg’s entertaining performance. However, some viewers who appreciate the film also express criticisms about the cliches that are trampled upon. As Movie Nation puts it, these instances make the movie “more annoyingly aggravating rather than mindlessly aggravating.
In my perspective as a movie reviewer, the responses on IMDb vary widely, from dismal 1/10 to perfect 10/10 ratings. Those who’ve seen the 1988 original are generally more forgiving than first-timers. Yet, even diehard fans find it hard to overlook Trouble’s overused plot devices. As one reviewer puts it in their 7/10 rating:
I wish I could rate it a perfect 10, but unfortunately, the plot fell into a common movie trope: Good Character vs Bad Character. The good character momentarily subdues the bad one, only to walk away instead of seizing the opportunity to finish the fight. This infuriates me because such decisions in stories often seem illogical and make it hard for me to sympathize with the main character afterwards.
The scene in question occurs in an airport after Conny escapes from jail. Not only does he forgo the chance to take an assailant’s gun, but he also subdues another enemy and gives that person’s gun to an airport employee. Both instances take the comedy one step beyond farce to become a laughable, cliché-ridden movie that is hard to overcome. Although the scenes underscore Conny’s non-violent compassion en route to reuniting with Julia, even those who enjoy Trouble realize it suffers the same old movie tropes seen time and again. Trouble is available to stream on Netflix.
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2024-10-14 01:01