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Pioneer (15)
Directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg
3 stars
THIS intriguing 1980s conspiracy thriller is set against the backdrop of the US’s dubious involvement in the beginning of the Norwegian oil boom.
Its background is the period when enormous oil and gas deposits were discovered in the North Sea and a bitter battle broke out between competing Norwegian and US diving teams to win the lucrative contract to pipe the resources ashore.
Professional diver Petter (Aksel Hennie) is obsessed with reaching the bottom of the Norwegian Sea first but when he starts investigating the death of his brother in a diving accident, he encounters shady corporate figures and discovers he is in way over his head.
Based on true events, this is an uncomfortably claustrophobic thriller directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg (Insomnia) which fails to turn into the nail-biting explosive ride one would expect.
It is a complex and at times confusing drama. But George Clooney is doing a remake and maybe that will clarify Pioneer’s depths.