By: debbie lynn elias
Based on the internationally acclaimed novel by of the same name by Jens Lapidus, EASY MONEY (Snabba Cash) was already wildly successful in Sweden and Europe before this US release. And it’s easy to see why. EASY MONEY is “easy” in more ways than one. Easy on the eyes with Joel Kinnaman as JW, for starters. Easy to grasp and follow (even were there no subtitles; the film is in Swedish, English, Spanish and Russian) thanks to the superb craftsmanship of editor Theis Schmidt. Easy to become engrossed with. Easily elevates the crime thriller with twists and turns, some of which you don’t see coming, but then adds to the intrigue thanks to well written characters and outstanding performances, most notably from a pre-The Killing and pre-Robocop Kinnaman. And let’s not forget that given the film is “presented by” Martin Scorsese, it’s safe to say that you can count on director Daniel Espinosa giving us similar Scorsese hallmarks of action, mystery, Mafia and murder.
Starting off with a bang, we meet the imprisoned Jorge. Staging an intricately planned escape from what appears to be a maximum security prison, Jorge’s story is the catalyst for what is about to unfold. It seems that our boy Jorge was playing with fire when he got caught. Committing illegal activities leading to his arrest, he also double-crossed Radovan, a not so nice Mafia boss. So why put yourself back on the street with both hunting your heard? Easy. Delusions of grandeur and wealth beyond belief from a massive cocaine deal which Jorge thinks he can broker. Plus, being the somewhat black sheep of the family, Jorge wants to now be able to make for his bad behavior and care for his mother and very pregnant sister. Besides, what can go wrong with the plan – his cousin is the supplier. But it’s a bit difficult to move millions of dollars of drugs with Radovan’s Mafia enforcer Mrado hot on your heels. So what do you do?
The answer is easy. You hide out with Johan “JW” Westlund, a struggling lower middle class business student who, with his own delusions of grandeur and wealth, brokers his own deal for some “easy money” with his taxi cab driver boss, Abdulkarim, himself a middle man in this upcoming drug deal and who has already whet JW’s appetite for easy money with a hefty fee for transporting and hiding Jorge. Greed and temptation are powerful tools. And while all of JW’s underworld cohorts have their dualities and conflicts of conscience, JW, as malcontent with poverty as his newfound business associates, has his own secrets. Living almost a double-life, JW has befriended his monied classmates and now runs in their societal and economic circles, albeit doing the Gordon Gecko/Bud Fox hair slick and wearing knock-off clothes which he alters with expensive buttons and bows to maintain “the look.” And, of course, he falls for Sophie, a very wealthy and well-connected beauty whom he wants to impress. But the quick, fast “easy money” isn’t enough for JW and he dives headfirst into the shark infested waters of big business, high finance and drug lords, believing he can outwit and outsmart the best of them by brokering his own deals.
But what happens when morality takes hold, life, love and family kick in, and the masquerade party ends? While it may sound predictable, as with any good party, when you get a mix of people this diverse together, anything can happen, and with EASY MONEY, the twists and turns make this one explosive thrill ride you don’t want to miss.
As JW, Joel Kinnaman walks the rapier line of a double and duplicitous life, but does so like a babe in the woods. He knows what he wants but isn’t quite sure how to get it, but likes the sound of “easy money” by doing “almost nothing”. Interesting is tacit use of JW’s naivete which Espinosa capitalizes on as a storytelling tool, buttressing the emotional fabric and character traits of those around JW. Kinnaman mesmerizes with his nuanced performance. He is a listener more than a talker. As the embarrassed and almost ashamed JW, he plays much of the film with his eyes downcast, always looking away and never “at” someone. Then he picks at his fingernails when nervous or in an unfamiliar setting, like a kid afraid of getting his hands caught in the cookie jar. The puppy dog adoration he brings to JW’s attraction to Sophie is sweetly charming, an innocent trait that despite JW’s attempts to go rogue and be a high-rolling criminal, permeates the man we ultimately see when the big drug bust goes down. Adding more charm and sweetness to JW is his obsession with “the look” of wealth, especially a telling button-sewing scene. And then Kinnaman exhibits and elicits real fear, paranoia, shock and horror when the rose colored glasses come off and the rosy colored blood letting and double crossing begins. Seeing Kinnaman here as JW after a winning comedic turn in “Lola Versus” with Greta Gerwig, only makes one even more appreciative of him and his abilities.
Noticeable is that the duality and deception of JW “dressing up” and playing a part for his hoity-toity friends and schoolmates more or less disintegrates and falls by the wayside as the story shifts more to the actual logistics of the drug deal and the players involved. Kinnaman seamlessly flows with the transition.
It seems almost fated that Kinnaman would play JW. Already a huge fan of the book, ” I was in the last year of acting school when I read it. At that point, I had done three movies, one small part and two medium-sized parts, and only one of those movies was successful. I wasn’t a name in Sweden at all, but I was feeling pretty confident. I read this book, and then I started to say to everybody, ‘I’m gonna play this character.’ The book had just come out and it hadn’t even been adapted, but I was like, ‘I’m gonna do this. This is gonna be me. I’m just saying, this is gonna be me!’” Ultimately, the project came to Kinnaman’s friend, Daniel Espinosa who has just “seen me do “Crime and Punishment” on stage. So he said, ‘This is you, you man! You’ve gotta do it! Do you wanna do it?’ I was like, ‘Are you kidding? Of course I wanna do it!’” Despite Kinnaman’s enthusiasm and self-confidence (and 6 months of bragging to his friends that the role was his), and Espinosa’s desire to cast him, the then unknown Kinnaman was forced to audition for the role seven times before it officially became his.
A real treat is Dragomir Mrsic who brings real gravitas to the story with his performance as Mrado. One of the strongest Mafioso personas to come along in a while, what makes Mrsic so menacing and intriguing is the brooding anger tinged with a softness which he brings to Mrado. His character arc is one of the strongest and once Mrado’s daughter Lovisa is introduced, watching the protectiveness and love of a father bubble up adds its own layers of tension and intrigue. Adding to the resonating believability of Mrsic’s performance are his own well known skills as a black belt in taekwondo and hapkido, not to mention being a former trainer for the Swedish Olympic Committee.
Hand in hand with Mrsic is the adorable Lea Stojanov who makes her feature film debut as Mrado’s daughter Lovisa.
As Jorge, Matias Padin Varela is a person of interest who also morphs emotionally – and to a large degree physically – with attitude and airs, particularly when facing his own crisis of conscience with Jorge’s sister and impending newborn.
Directed by Daniel Espinosa (who went on to direct “Safe House” with Denzel Washington after EASY MONEY) and written by Maria Karlsson based on Lapidus’ novel, EASY MONEY begins with very visually defined dividing lines between good and evil, upper class and lower class, nouveau riche and the underworld. Motivations of each character are clear and concise but then there are arcs and shifts that propel the story as well as draw the audience ever deeper. Fascinating to watch unfold, as the story develops with each of the underlying plot lines, those distinctions blur and cross-over, with virtually everyone subscribing to the Gordon Gecko mindset of “greed is good.” As a result of this blurring, new layers and textures of each character are constantly erupting, allowing the audience to go behind the curtain of each man, thus keeping the audience in constant flux as to their character loyalties. As with the more well-known Mafia tales of the world that we are all so familiar with (and which Scorsese has famously celebrated on screen), distinctive is the role that family plays in each of the characters and their ultimate demise.
With this his third feature film, director Espinosa has not only mastered the art of tension, but also the off-kilter softer emotions of human nature, the latter of which is showcased with great performances, particularly from Kinnaman. It’s easy to see how Kinnaman landed the role of Stephen Holder in “The Killing” and even easier to see why he’s our new “Robocop” after his work here. More importantly, and the hallmark of a good foreign film, thanks to a well crafted script with tapestried storylines and characters, Espinosa transcends any language barriers, tapping into universal themes and imagery, engrossing and investing the audience in the story and the individual characters.
As mentioned, key to EASY MONEY – particularly for American audiences – is Theis Schmidt’s editing, which not only sets the film’s pacing, but literally shoulders a large burden of the storytelling thanks to intricate interesting weaving of plot points. But with that in mind, it should be noted that there are several scenes which are too prolonged with unnecessary pause or dialogue which to remove would easily cut ten minutes from the film’s now 124 minute length.
The cinematography of Aril Wretblad adds its own tiers to the story, vacillating between saturated color in the world of the wealthy (and some beautiful backlighting and golden sunlight tones when JW is falling for Sophie) and the starker, greyer underworld. Framing stays primarily with close-up and two-shots creating an intimacy that envelops the audience with such intensity that at times it feels as if we are in the room with the action.
And yes, as the film ends we are left with many questions about many people. But not to fear, EASY MONEY 2 is coming our way and according to Kinnaman “it picks up where EASY MONEY ends.”
Directed by Daniel Espinosa.
Written by Maria Karlsson based on the novel by Jens Lapidus.
Starring: Joel Kinnaman, Dragomir Mrsic, Matias Padin Varela, Dejan Cukic.
