R

Wrote Sound and Sight: "The most pure dramatic film... bleaker and more gruelling than A Prophet..." And so it is, right away sucking you in and not letting go before the brave and, indeed, very bleak ending. It's all extremely well done and totally convincing. The two directors bring authenticity through a documentary-style approach, and they have made (arguably - but for me obviously) the most accomplished Danish film in recent memory.

To call "R" fatalistic would be an understatement. From the first glimpse of Rune entering a cellblock jammed with tattooed, muscular neonazi looking rednecks to the logical, violent end to it all, Noer and Lindholm create the antithesis to the slum-glamour of "Shawshank Redemption". It's on par with "Hunger". "R" is possibly the greatest Danish movie of the decade helped along by a haunting score and beautifully bleak cinematography (all the scenes in the yard; Rune in the rain etc.).

Bleak, brutal, believable, bdepressing. One of the more haunting prison movies I've seen, thanks to the almost documentary style of filmmaking. The ending will get under your skin for sure.

I hear that this is a lot like Un Prophete so maybe if I have seen it (it's in my queue), then I'd like this less? I don't know, but as it stands: this is a bleak, gritty story. It's not a real original story but due to the acting of Rune and Rashid (loved Rashid especially), the cinematography, the set design, the intense score, the ending (loved the still shot of the prison to end it), it rises above. Also, like another said, the documentary style approach is great.

My heart pounded so rapidly I felt like having a heart attack due to one unforgettable, devastating scene following another 'till the inevitable fatalistic end, leaving an impression of the purest, most brutal and essentially dramatic kind. As tough and heart-wrenching as it gets and 'Danish movie of the year' - by far, if not 'movie of the year' overall contender.

Amazing! Arguably one of the best danish movies since, well, ever! Raw, realistic and beatifully shot. Thumbs up to Lindholm and Noer!

Wow! This is a Danish masterpiece. The acting is great and the style is gritty and feels realistic. This movie crawls under your skin and stays there.

It may be just a little bit too nihilistic in it's depiction of life behind bars in Jutland (or life in Jutland in general, I guess) but this uncompromisingly realistic tone is refreshingly sober.

It does resemble Un Prophete a lot, however it is not as good. But ignoring the similarities, it is a great film with amazing performances. As Obdurate already said the final shot of the prison is brilliant. All in all I would highly recommend it if you want to see a prison drama.

Refreshingly bleak; where Un Prophete is perhaps slightly more involving, it is also more of a unlikely-hero tale - this one goes instead for a gritty, fatalistic approach to great effect. Excellent.

Plays on audience hopes and generic expectations in quite a clever way, continually dashing both, but, despite being generally well-done, this is still really just a variation on the prison film theme.

Feels like a poor mans The Prophet, but it still holds up.

Easily better than 99% of prison films. Score and cinematography seem to escape the confines of the subject matter really nicely. The believable plot helps to no end. No fairytale crap.

I wouldn't give this movie the genre drama, cause it's more like a horror movie. Left me feeling pretty down. That last scene, jesus..

Really enjoyed the ending.