Enforcement (Danish: Shorta) is a 2020 Danish crime action film[4] directed by Frederik Louis Hviid and Anders Ølholm in their feature directorial debut. The film premiered at the 77th Venice International Film Festival in the 35th International Critics' Week on 5 September 2020, and it is about two patrol officers who find themselves trapped when unrest spreads after news arrives that a young foreigner of the ghetto has died while in police custody.

Enforcement
Film poster
DanishShorta
Directed by
  • Frederik Louis Hviid
  • Anders Ølholm
CinematographyJacob Møller
Production
company
Toolbox Film
Release date
  • 5 September 2020 (2020-09-05) (Venice)
Running time
94 minutes[1][2][3]
CountryDenmark
LanguageDanish
Box office$53,189[1]

Plot edit

Jens Høyer (Simon Sears) and Mike Andersen (Jacob Lohmann [da]) are officer on routine patrol in the ghetto of Svalegården, a fictional neighborhood of Copenhagen. The mood among the foreign population is heated because an arrested Senegalese, 19-year-old Talib Ben Hassi, was seriously injured in police custody and is in danger of life. Subsequently, when the death of the young Talib is made known, the two agents, engaged in a search, are attacked and their car is set on fire. Jens and Mike will then have to survive the ghetto people's desire for revenge.

Production edit

Shorta is an Arabic word for police.[5]

Release edit

The film had its world premiere at the 77th Venice International Film Festival in the 35th International Critics' Week[6][7][8] on 5 September 2020.[9] It had a Danish theatrical release on 8 October 2020.[7] It had a limited theatrical release in North America by Magnolia Pictures and was released on VOD by Magnet Releasing on 19 March 2021.[1][3] It was internationally released on 4 June 2021.[1]

Reception edit

Box office edit

Enforcement grossed $0 in North America,[2] and a worldwide total of $53,189.[1]

Critical response edit

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 83% based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's consensus reads, "What Enforcement lacks in character development, this propulsive action thriller makes up with a smart script and relentless tension."[3] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 64 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[10] Joe Morgenstern found the physical action "more compelling than the superheated plot".[11] Variety's Peter Debruge praised the film as "gripping" and a "smart, nonstop thriller".[5] Simon Abrams rated the film one and a half stars out of five in his review for RogerEbert.com.[12]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e "Shorta (2021) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Enforcement (2021)". Box Office Mojo. IMDbPro. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Enforcement". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Shorta". British Board of Film Classification. SHORTA is a Danish crime action film in which two police officers find themselves trapped in a maze of apartment buildings after a routine patrol ends in civil unrest in the wake of a death in custody.
  5. ^ a b Debruge, Peter (20 March 2021). "'Enforcement' ('Shorta') Review: 'Assault on Precinct 13' Meets 'Training Day' in Gripping Danish Cop Movie". Variety. ISSN 0042-2738. OCLC 810134503. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Shorta – Settimana Internazionale della Critica". sicvenezia.it. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Shorta | Danish Film Institute - Det Danske Filminstitut". Danish Film Institute. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  8. ^ Grater, Tom (21 July 2020). "Venice Critics' Week Unveils Full 2020 Line-Up Ahead Of Physical Festival". Deadline. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  9. ^ Hunter, Allan (5 September 2020). "'Shorta': Venice Review". screendaily.com. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  10. ^ "Enforcement". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  11. ^ Morgenstern, Joe (18 March 2021). "'Enforcement' Review: Mutually Assured Hostility". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. ISSN 0099-9660. OCLC 781541372. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  12. ^ Abrams, Simon (19 March 2021). "Enforcement". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.

External links edit