Cold Prey (Fritt vilt I & II)

[pro-bassoonist]

Roar Uthaug's Fritt vilt (2006) and Mats Stenberg's Fritt vilt II (2008) have received a preliminary release date for the Gallic markets: January 5, 2010.

Variety:

A hit last year in its native Norway, Roar Uthaug's debut feature is a conventional but nicely handled slasher pic that makes good use of spectacular mountain range locations. Widescreen lensing format and above-average perfs add a touch of class to the tale of five snowboarders who take shelter in the wrong mysteriously abandoned (or is it?) ski lodge. Offshore sales should be brisk.

Genial, boyish Tobias (Rolf Kristian Larsen) is the lone stag member of a youthful party otherwise comprising two couples, recently-conjoined horndoggies Mikael (Endre Martin Midtstigen) and Ingunn (Viktoria Winge), plus longer-established duo Jannicke (Ingrid Bolso Berdal) and Eirik (Tomas Alf Larsen). Escaping resort crowds in favor of pristine backcountry, their athletic fun is halted when Tobias breaks a leg. They retreat to a shuttered nearby lodge that appears deserted. Alas, somebody still lives here -- and he's got an axe. Likeable characters are given more personality than the usual genre cannon fodder, and, while basic premise is routine, pic orchestrates its scares with brute effectiveness. The only letdown is the killer himself, a generic "Halloween"-y faceless ghoul in goggles and heavy winter wear. Production values are polished.

Camera (color, Super 16-to-35mm), Daniel Voldheim; editor, Jon Endre Merk; music, Magnus Beite. Reviewed at Slamdance Film Festival (21+ Film Series), Jan. 21, 2007. Running time: 93 MIN.

Lisa Fore:

As a snow-bound spin on sequel classics like Aliens and Halloween 2, Norway's fantastic follow-up Fritt Vilt II concerns itself with the aftermath of Jannicke's nightmare at the abandoned hotel in the Jotunheimen Mountains where she and her friends found shelter after a snowboarding accident.

The story opens in a small struggling hospital where we meet the next batch of victims to become terrorized by "the mad Dane," Camille (Marthe Snorresdotter Rovik), Herman (Fridtjov Såheim) and Audhild (Johanna Mørck) as the staff prepares to close their clinic down. Camille's boyfriend, Ole (Mats Eldøen) stops in and instead of having a lover's chat the couple gets in a spat about Camille's plans to take up a medical residence opportunity in another town. Their argument is waylaid as Ole (apparently a member of the local rescue team) gets a recovery call about an abandoned SUV on the side of the road near the Jotunheimen. Ole heads out and soon finds the snow-covered vehicle and on his way back to grab a tow, he nearly avoids running down a hooded figure standing in the middle of the road.

Said figure turns out to be Jannicke (Ingrid Bolsø Berdal) and Ole rushes the poor delirious woman back to the clinic. Help turns into a huge hindrance as after relaying her story, the staff and police quietly conclude that she's completely insane and decide to load her up with meds before they can decide what to do with her. Just when they feel everything is under control, another call comes in and Jannicke seems like a dream patient compared to the nightmare that's about to explode through their quiet halls.

While the cinematography isn't as crisp and 'wintery' as it's predecessor, Fritt Vilt II as a story and overall film is definitely as tight and even more suspenseful than the first. The pace is ruthless and focused, which shows Stenberg's brilliant control over the material. No silicone distractions, no goofy side-kicks or time consuming comedy relief that are the standard fare of slasher films - it's just balls-out terror.

Ingrid Bolsø Berdal is a powerful player as she wonderfully sustains the psychological baggage carried over from the end of Fritt Vilt. Naturally darkened by her original traumatic experiences, her optimistic nature gives over to a wonderfully dark and Aliens-Ripley-esque persona of paranoia and amazing primal survival that struggles to keep her and those she's attempting to save, ahead of our gigantic villain, Geir Olav Brath (Robert Follin). They might do a lot of screaming, but the women in this film are a definite force to be reckoned with.

Fritt Vilt II is a perfect sequel that's calls for an instant replay, and is just plain slasher-ific.

Pro-B

[JonBidinger]

Words cannot express my excitement. Please have english subs and be region free. Please!!!

[zardoz]

who is the editor for this in France ?

[pro-bassoonist]

Studio Canal.

Pro-B

[Evileye]

If this has English subtitles I'm all over it (especially 2)!

[Kynch]

Out January 5th 2010.

[JonBidinger]

That cover art is sexy. Too bad it is Studio Canal, so i'm sure no english subs.

[Funktion]

Originally Posted by JonBidinger

Too bad it is Studio Canal, so i'm sure no english subs.

Why do you say that? I have quite a few of their BD releases, and all but one has English subtitles.

[JonBidinger]

Well, either that or region-B locked. And I could have sworn reading about some Canal released without eng subs, but hey, maybe the fates will smile upon us.

[Kynch]

Thanks for rectifying my lack of perseverance again, Pro-B.

[Mobe1969]

I'd love these films. If they have English subs I'll get them.

[Kynch]

According to EcranLarge.com, there won't be any English subs.

Norwegian DTS-HD MA 5.1, French DTS-HD MA 5.1
French Subs.

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by Kynch

Thanks for rectifying my lack of perseverance again, Pro-B.

This is never a problem, so don't even mention it

Pro-B

[Evileye]

Originally Posted by Kynch

According to EcranLarge.com, there won't be any English subs.

Norwegian DTS-HD MA 5.1, French DTS-HD MA 5.1
French Subs.

So sad. I have been dying to get the 2nd on on bluray and the subtitle thing is getting annoying. Guess I'll have to stick with my UK DVD unless this site listing is a misprint.

[Shanester]

Good thing I can read French

That trailer on youtube looks pretty cool!

[OpFeRmEtZgER]

what is the problem with the french
Why can´t they put english subtitles on their releases....grrrrr
english is THE WORLD LANGUAGE!!!

[Evileye]

Originally Posted by OpFeRmEtZgER

what is the problem with the french
Why can´t they put english subtitles on their releases....grrrrr
english is THE WORLD LANGUAGE!!!

Or at least put a bunch of subtitles given the storage capacity of blurays. You would think opening it to importers would help sales a bit more!

[OpFeRmEtZgER]

Originally Posted by Evileye

Or at least put a bunch of subtitles given the storage capacity of blurays. You would think opening it to importers would help sales a bit more!

Indeed!
Well i hate dubbed movies anyways,all i want is english subtitles

[BladeRunner2007]

Damn! I want this movie (part 1) so bad on BD and they don't give us english subs?!

[kandraks]

Norwegian 2 disc special edition DVD of Fritt Vilt did have english subtitles and menus, but sadly it's not out on Blu, not even in Norway, so I don't think it would be much of a problem to release it on Blu, while Fritt Vilt II IS out on Blu (France and Norway) but alas no English subtitles on either editions. Got them both (Fritt Vilt - the Norwegian 2 disc SE and Fritt Vilt II UK edition) and both are great films IMO, so wouldn't mind double-dipping at all if they were released on Blu-Ray with English subs!