STOCKHOLM *

The events that took place in a Stockholm bank one day in 1973 were bizarre indeed and lead to the psychological condition known as 'Stockholm Syndrome' by which a captive becomes emotionally attached to their captor though I am sure, if you tried, you could trace this condition back to the cavemen. The events are described here as absurd and they are. I'm not sure how closely Robert Budreau's film "Stockholm" (aka "The Captor") sticks to the facts which are certainly stranger than fiction and anyway, "Dog Day Afternoon" covered very similair events to much greater effect so this feels like something of an after-thought, a kind of "Dog Day Afternoon" in miniature.

As the chief hostage taker Ethan Hawke chronically overacts though Noomi Rapace isn't at all bad as the hostage who falls for him in a very strange way but genuine laughs and real suspense are both conspicuously absent and it's just the very weirdness of what's happening that holds your interest, (and then, barely). I'm sure there's a really great movie to be made on this subject and maybe "Dog Day Afternoon" was it; this one is merely watchable.