22 July
Despite some general storytelling issues, Greengrass succeeds in delivering another well-crafted and intelligent docudrama-thriller with 22 July.
In - between his try on theBournemovies , journalist - turn filmmaker Paul Greengrass has spent much of his career gain docudrama - thrillers about real - world events , ranging from the September 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. ( United 93 ) to the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama in 2009 ( Captain Phillips ) . While there ’s an inherent risk of exploiting a real - world tragedy that comes with any such project , Greengrass has long been celebrate for his ability to dramatize atrocious consequence on the big screen in a manner that ’s intense , yet sensible and in the end insightful in its presentation . Thankfully , that remain the cause with his Netflix Original22 July , even if it does n’t necessarily act the writer / director at his finest . Despite some general storytelling issues , Greengrass bring home the bacon in surrender another well - crafted and sound infotainment - thriller with22 July .
22 Julypicks up on July 21 , 2011 in Oslo , Norway , as Anders Behring Breivik ( Anders Danielsen Lie ) - a ego - declared right wing extremist - prepares to post out a terrorist attack on the city the next day . He commence his assault by setting off a bomb in a van near the master office of the then - current Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg ( Ola G. Furuseth ) , vote out eight mass in the process . Breivik then go on to extend his attack by gun down 69 members of a summer cantonment organized by the AUF - the youth section of the Norwegian Labour Party - on the island of Utøya , before he is ultimately apprehended by the police and deal into detention .
Among the members of the summertime camp is one Viljar Hanssen ( Jonas Strand Gravli ) , who manages to endure Breivik ’s attack despite being shoot multiple times and pass on for good maim . As Viljar shin to recover both physically and psychologically from what befall to him ( along with everyone else who pull round the Utøya shootings and their loved I ) , Breivik works with his choose lawyer Geir Lippestad ( Jon Øigarden ) to mount a defense and expend his trial as a chopine to in public annunciate his political agendum ( which calls for the immediate deportation of all Muslims and heavier restrictions on in-migration to Norway , among other things ) . When it becomes clear to Viljar what Breivik intends to do , he develop increasingly determined to continue his reclamation and show against him in court for not only himself , but also every other mortal whose lives were affected by what took billet on July 22 .
adapt from the bookOne of Us : The Story of a Massacre in Norway – and Its Aftermathby Åsne Seierstad , Greengrass ' hand for22 Julyhas a very clear - cut three act social structure - with the first act center on the July 22 tone-beginning , the second part typeset during its quick wake , and the final third revolve around on Breivik ’s trial . The picture is strongest during its first and third acts in particular , as those chapter ( severally ) flirt to Greengrass ' potency as a suspense - thriller narrator and provide the worked up payoff to Viljar and , thus , Norway ’s overarching journey of recuperation and natural selection . It ’s the 2d act where thing begin to drag and get a small wooly-minded , particularly as22 Julysplits its focal point between not only Viljar ’s story thread , but also Lippestad and Breivik ’s trial planning , and the investigating into Stoltenberg ’s administration and its nonstarter to prevent a terrorist tone-beginning . While there ’s nothing in the second enactment that feels inessential,22 Julystruggles to separate its attending evenly between its three plotlines and the moving picture ’s pacing digest for it .
On the whole , however,22 Julydoes a nice Book of Job covering a bonny amount of narrative ground , even when take aim its pretty solid runtime into thoughtfulness . It helps that Greengrass ( as he ’s lie with now for doing , as a director ) never fully lifts his foot off the gas foot lever and observe the film ’s legal proceeding feeling on - edge throughout , even during its more purely spectacular portion . The film producer , working this time around with DP Pål Ulvik Rokseth ( The Snowman ) and Oscar - winningArgoeditor William Goldenberg , use basically the same vérité motion-picture photography and uneasy editing dash that he has on his former movies , to to the full immerse viewers in the plastic film ’s context and natural process . At the same time , Greengrass slow down things down a bit here and , in turn , redeem a moving-picture show that ’s more visually cohesive than some of his sapless effort in the past ( see the lastBournesequel , in fussy ) . This serves22 Julywell , allowing it to effectively put to work as both a grounded drama and thriller .
Given the sheer amount of info that22 Julystrives to cover , though , there ’s not a bunch of elbow room for the motion-picture show ’s player to really smoothen - not in the way that Barkhad Abdi and Tom Hanks did inCaptain Phillips , for exemplar . Even so , the22 Julycast is uniformly strong across the board , with Gravli especially doing an excellent task of limn Viljar ’s struggles with his physical injury , PTSD , and the vapourous amount of emotional baggage that he ’s saddle with after barely managing to escape the attack on Utøya with his own life . Actors like Thorbjørn Harr and Isak Bakli Aglen are similarly move in their smaller function as members of Viljar ’s family , as is Seda Witt as Lara Rashid , a youthful woman who begin to make a romantic connection with Viljar before both of their life are shatter by Breivik ’s attack . As for Breivik himself : prevarication is quite compelling in the role and limn the terrorist as a fully - developed person - one whose rationalization of his behavior makes him chilling and pathetic in adequate standard .
As with his previous films , Greengrass uses22 Julyas a way for delivering larger sociopolitical commentary about the country of things in the world , specifically where it concern the rise of xenophobic and nationalistic ideology in various countries ( the U.S. include ) . While his scripted dialogue can start out to become a snatch on the nose as its strives to get these points across ( specially in the third enactment ) , Greengrass mostly succeeds in take into account the story here to beam a light on these outlet organically , without get up on his figurative soapbox to labour the degree home . If there ’s a downside to the film producer ’s approach , though , it ’s thatJuly 22winds up handling its subject matter in a way of life that ’s more engaging intellectually than emotionally and , thus , miss the emotional resonance of Greengrass ' best piece of work to engagement .
All thing considered , however , Greengrass does a very well job of convey the lawful write up behind22 Julyto cinematic biography . The final result is a film that makes for an enlightening and otherwise reverential documentation of a horrifying real - world case , rather than one that come in off as exploitative or manipulative.22 Julyis showing in select theaters now - for qualify for next year ’s major moving picture awards testify - and it for certain benefits from being seen on the crowing screen , but can still be appreciated just as much as a Netflix Original on your family television . While it ’s apparently not a light - hearted look at experience,22 Julyis very much worth check out if you ’ve enjoyed Greengrass ' previous non - Bourneefforts and/or would like to know more about Norway’sowninfamous modern terrorist flak .
TRAILER
22 Julyis now available for streaming on Netflix and is play in prime U.S. theaters . It is 143 bit long and is value radius for disturbing violence , graphic figure of speech , and language .
22 July is a drama pic directed by Paul Greengrass , depicting the aftermath of the 2011 Norway attack carry out by far - good extremist Anders Behring Breivik . The picture show follows the survivors and families affect by the tragic case , pore on their resiliency and recuperation in the face of a traumatic experience .
Anders Danielsen Lie in 22 July
Jonas Strand Gravli and Seda Witt in 22 July
