Tacticalin An absolute waste of money

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

paul2001sw-1 Illegal trade is profitable because there's less competition: prohibition puts most people off, and restricts supply. But without the law to protect you, the competition there is tends to be bloody and violent (which itself serves to further reduce supply). The perfect white collar crime might never be quite as clean as it seems: if someone else wants a piece of your action, things are going to get messy. Daniel Espinosa's film 'Easy Money' is a serviceable thriller, well-done in itself but not especially original. A social climbing business student sees an opportunity to offer his services to a drug smuggling gang; but soon finds that being a money launderer is not quite as simple as he'd hoped. Some details of the plot make less than perfect sense: "take over a private bank and gain access to equity worth 30 times what you pay for it" is a plan that surely needs more explanation. What's good about the drama is that it shows the gang war from multiple sides: the characters may be rotten, but they're still all human, and each with their own mixed motives for the bad things they do. There's nothing here you won't have seen before, but the execution is better than average.

Leofwine_draca EASY MONEY is a highly effective slice of Scandi crime drama that blows the socks off the Hollywood competition. It's a film responsible for introducing new talent to the international scene in the form of lead Joel Kinnaman (who went on to be the new ROBOCOP) and director Daniel Espinosa (who went on to direct the Denzel Washington thriller SAFE HOUSE on the strength of this).The story is a complex but watchable one that tells of various competing criminal factions seeking to control the local drug supply. The mix of amoral characters is what makes this film feel unique; the hero is anything but heroic, merely out to save his own skin, and thus has a kind of vibrant realism missing from all those goody two-shoes in Hollywood flicks. Plus, Dragomir Mrsic's Serbian hit-man is good enough to deserve a film all to himself, and really helps to add quality to the film.Epinosa's direction is another strength as he forgoes the typical dark and dingy look of a Scandinavian crime flick and instead creates a bright, colourful and beautiful look for the film. I had the pleasure of seeing this in high definition and it really looks a treat. EASY MONEY isn't an action film or a thriller packed with suspense scenes, but the quality of the script and plotting mean you'll be glued to the screen as if it were. Bring on the sequel!

Bene Cumb Although its plot seems realistic and is based on a solid book (novel of the same name by Jens Lapidus), the story lines becomes incoherent due to frequent jumps between the three main characters: Johan aka JW (played by Joel Kinnaman; great and credible performance), Jorge (Matias Padin Varela) and Mrado (Dragomir Mrsic); the last two seemed just okay, nothing catchy. Lisa Henni as Sophie is just a beautiful blond Sweden is famous for, no memorable scenes with her.It is also distressing to see how gracious immigration policy through several decades has made Sweden a war-field of national gangs (mostly from Balkans) who have introduced severe and ruthless crimes into formerly peaceful Scandinavia. Lots of countries in the world struggle with issues with 2nd generation immigrants in slums who feel themselves alienated.Nevertheless, I will probably watch its sequel Snabba Cash II in the near future - to compare. But the news that Warner Bros. holds the rights to an American remake with Zac Efron - is not good as Efron is rather mediocre actor. Well, remakes are seldom better, especially is the temporal distance is short.

writerfrancoford MediumRareTv.org Director, Daniel Espinosa, attempts to recreate the success of Jens Lapidus' novel, Snabba Cash (Easy Money). Maria Karisson was challenged with writing the screenplay, while Lapidus supplied insight for the manuscript. The film was originally released in 2010 and has now finally made its way to the states after several American film companies hashed it out for the rights. Expect sequels in the near future.Johan "JW" Westland (Joel Kinnaman) is a student at the Stockholm School of Economics, who also secretly moonlights as a cabbie for Abdulkarim (Mahmut Suvakci), to make extra cash. When JW isn't driving a cab or studying he's, partying with the rich and powerful and goes out of his way to appear as one of them with his style of dress and charismatic demeanor. When Abdulkarim approaches JW with an opportunity to make some fast cash, he can't resist.JW is tasked with delivering Jorge Salinas (Matias Padin Varela), who recently escaped prison, to Abdulkarim. Upon arriving at their rendezvous point, JW discovers that Jorge is being followed by Mrado Slovovic (Dragonir Mrsic) and must think fast if he is to save Jorge, whom he never met, from an uncertain death and collect his bankroll. He succeeds, impressing both Jorge and Abdulkarim, and is given the opportunity to work with them both in the drug trade they're attempting to get off the ground. Soon he is faced with the difficulty of managing two lives, one of which includes new girlfriend, Sophie (Lisa Henni).JW is clearly the entity Easy Money revolves around in this action film, though,filmmakers Espinosa and Karisson attempt to reveal secondary story-lines with Jorge and Mrado–a feat which may have been less cumbersome in the novel. The film rotates between the three characters, but you can't help but feel cheated due to the incompleteness of their backstories. They do succeed in humanizing the three to some degree. Hence, Mrado is the hardened killer who finds himself caring for his young daughter unexpectedly and allowing his paternal instincts to take over. Likewise, Jorge vows to care for his family once the big drug deal is completed.Espinosa directs a suspenseful film that doesn't solely depend on action sequences to entertain. Kinnaman gives a charming performance as JW. Varela and Mrsic both give noteworthy performances. By far, JW is the most complex of the characters. At first glance, it seems he is motivated by money, but it becomes clear that a sense of belonging is also a factor. His growing friendship with Jorge begins to impact his decisions and his relationship with Sophie. In fact, the bond of friendship plays a big part in the films questionable ending. However, it again appears the character development between the two lacked the necessary foundation as the outcome attempts to support. JW does evolve throughout this tale, but for the better or for the worse is left up to the viewer. Minus a few hiccups, Easy Money is engrossing and worthy of a look.