Hello again! As the day moves on, here is the second review for you from the world of indie film, the Norwegian offering, “Pioneer”.
SEE THE TRAILER HERE
Brought to us by “Insomnia” and “Prozac Nation” director Erik Skoldbjaerg, the story brings us to Norway at the very start of the 1980’s and the subsequent birth of the Norwegian Oil Boom when plentiful supply of the commodity is discovered in the North Sea. As bringing the liquid gold to the mainland can only be achieved at this point by running pipeline along the ocean floor, a team of Norway’s best divers, including brothers Petter and Knut Jensen (Aksel Hennie & Andre Eriksen), are assembled to work with a U.S. company, Deep Sea Diving, led by an unscrupulous team leader, John Ferris (Stephen Lang), and his main divers, including right hand man Mike (Wes Bentley). Having trained to prepare for working in depths approaching 1600+ feet, the team gets ready to make history, become heroes, AND assist their homeland in striking it rich. But when an unforeseen incident occurs while on the maiden dive and a tragedy ensues, Petter in particular ends up embroiled in a much more dangerous game than diving the dark, ice cold seas. Suspecting potential foul play, Petter begins to delve into the matter well beyond the scope of the investigation already at hand, attempting to solicit the aid of a politician, Ivar Jeger (Eirik Stubo), and a police investigator Pia (Ane Dahl Torp). But the more he looks into what has transpired, lines begin to blur as he struggles to determine who is really pulling the strings on the project. The more questions he asks, the chances he takes, then make Petter realize he just might be in over his head. But his passion for the truth drives him, even as the looming Oil Boom and the money it could generate for a LOT of people continues to remain at the forefront, regardless of the costs. And honestly, that’s all I can really say without venturing into the depths (couldn’t help it, sorry!) of spoilers.
So, getting right to it, this is a solid effort, albeit predictable in its outcome. And that isn’t actually to take away at all from the overall message I believe the filmmakers were trying to bring across, as it is one of those stories that does bring to light the questions about human motive vs. true concern FOR other human beings when it comes to any situation involving certain people standing to make a large sum of money regardless of the risks it may pose to others IN gaining it. Given the final outcome, there are your typical winners and losers in the tale, and this in itself was not much of a mystery during the film. Performances are, again, solid. Lang always manages to find a way to bring the right level of malice to any type of questionable person he plays, and the same I would say goes for Bentley as well. Hennie is good as Petter, a man forced to make choices and get involved with people and politics he’s not used to being around beyond his normal diving jobs. The total level of realism and believability in the characters didn’t necessarily stand out as much as in other recent indie films I’ve seen, I didn’t feel that TOTAL sense of engagement with them. Still, I didn’t come away with a sense of disappointment or boredom either, so that too speaks to the film’s quality. I think what ultimately struck me the most was simply thinking about what the experience and plight of the actual divers would have been like back in the early 80’s when the technology we have today for these types of endeavors didn’t exist yet. So for those who were actually RACING to be the first ones to get to the ocean floor and do this hazardous work, my hat’s off to them, as it would take men of exceptional will and constitution to do what was needed to make their peers proud and to enrich their country with the oil produced. So, good, not great, entertaining, but not mesmerizing, “Pioneer” manages to be another indie effort I would say is worth a look, though maybe not an immediate viewing priority.
As always, this is all for YOUR consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading.
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