Pioneer (Norwegian: Pionér) is a 2013 Norwegian thriller film directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg. It was released on 30 August, followed by a screening in the Special Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.[2]
| Pioneer | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Film poster | |
| Directed by | Erik Skjoldbjærg |
| Written by | Erik Skjoldbjærg |
| Starring | Aksel Hennie Stephen Lang Wes Bentley Ane Dahl Torp Stephanie Sigman Jonathan LaPaglia Jørgen Langhelle Eirik Stubø André Eriksen David A. Jørgensen Endre Hellestveit |
| Cinematography | Jallo Faber |
| Edited by | Frida Eggum Michaelsen Jonas Aaro |
| Music by | Air |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Nordisk Film |
Release date |
|
Running time | 111 minutes[1] |
| Countries | Norway France Germany Sweden Iceland |
| Languages | Norwegian English |
Plot
editPetter[3] is a commercial offshore diver in the North Sea during the 1980s. Norway is at the beginning of its program for oil extraction. Petter and his brother Knut have key roles in laying the first petroleum pipe in the North Sea.[4] Norwegians and Americans are cooperating in diving deeper than anyone previously has done, to prepare for the installation of a gas pipeline. Petter experiences a tragic accident during a test dive. When he later tries to find out what really happened, he finds that the authorities and his colleagues are trying to cover up the matter.[5]
Cast
edit
- Aksel Hennie as Petter Jensen
- Wes Bentley as Mike
- Stephen Lang as John Ferris
- Jonathan LaPaglia as Ronald McDermott
- Stephanie Sigman as Maria Salazar
- Jørgen Langhelle as Leif Lindberg
- Ane Dahl Torp as Pia
- André Eriksen as Knut Jensen
- Arne Lindtner Næss as Minister
- Eirik Stubø as Ivar Jeger
- Endre Hellestveit as Trond
- Janne Heltberg as Trude Svendsen
- Kent Albinsson as Jens Roger Hjort
Reception
editOn Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 55% based on 44 reviews, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Pioneer boasts strong acting and a throwback conspiracy thriller vibe, but fails to take it far enough, and is very slow about not getting there."[6] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 58 out of 100, based on reviews from 13 critics.[7]
English-language remake
editAs of April 2014[update], Smokehouse Pictures, operated by George Clooney and Grant Heslov, were reported to be working on an English-language remake of the film.[8]
See also
edit- The drilling rig Byford Dolphin, where a real-life decompression chamber accident in Norway resulted in the death of a number of divers in 1983.
References
edit- ^ "Pioneer (12A)". Arrow Film Distributors. British Board of Film Classification. 12 March 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
- ^ "Pioneer". TIFF. Archived from the original on 9 October 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
- ^ Maugesten, Hanne Marie (9 August 2013). "Pionéren - Vi kan takke Magn Muledal og hans kolleger for velferden vår, mener Aksel Hennie. Han spiller nordsjødykker i ny, norsk film". Aftenposten A-magasinet (in Norwegian). p. 10.
- ^ Klaustrofobisk dypdykk
- ^ Pionér - Aksel Hennie til bunns i god oljethriller.
- ^ "Pioneer (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ "Pioneer". Metacritic.
- ^ "George Clooney's latest film tells dark tale of underwater peril". The Guardian. 5 April 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.