Old Men in New Cars: In China They Eat Dogs II
Old Men in New Cars: In China They Eat Dogs II
| 30 November 2002 (USA)
Old Men in New Cars: In China They Eat Dogs II Trailers

The last wish of the dying "Monk" is for his foster child, Harald, to find his real son, Ludvig. But the latter is currently in a Swedish prison cell...

Reviews
SteinMo What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.
Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.
Seraherrera The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity
Keeley Coleman The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;
random_avenger The 1999 Danish black comedy In China They Eat Dogs brought an enjoyable gust of fresh air to the often overly serious Nordic cinema. The prequel Old Men in New Cars casts light on the characters' earlier life: Harald (Kim Bodnia) has just been released from prison and owes a large sum of money to a gangster named Ratko (Slavko Labovic) but doesn't let the debt bother him very much. After his dying father figure Munken (Jens Okking) asks Harald to locate his estranged son Ludvig (Torkel Petersson), Harald and his cook friends Martin and Peter (Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Tomas Villum Jensen) and their new inept assistant Vuk (Brian Patterson) come up with a plan to get Ludvig, a multiple murderer with a sensitive side, out of a Swedish prison. While robbing a bank, they also they also become attached to a suicidal woman Mille (Iben Hjejle) who tags along and evokes new kinds of feelings in Ludvig. Next it is time for an elaborate airplane hijacking...The main difference to the first movie is the absence of the mild-mannered Arvid, arguably the protagonist of In China They Eat Dogs. Instead, the prequel focuses on Harald and his ever-calm attitude to whatever obstacles life drops in front of him. The semi-reluctant Martin and Peter are the same as before, providing a lot of comedy with their awkward insecurity when things get rough and bodies start piling up, not to mention the always hapless Vuk who keeps getting seriously injured as a running gag in both movies. The main charm of the humour still lies in the deadpan delivery of the gang's outrageously implausible schemes, be it a prison break by bungee cord or an airplane robbery with an ambulance.The action scenes, while not as numerous as in Hollywood blockbusters, are well designed and both entertaining and exciting. Especially the car chase after the bank robbery deserves a special mention, rarely do we get to see such wreckage in any normal Nordic thriller. The actors also do a good job; especially Kaas and Jensen are great as the manipulatable henchmen of the menacing Kim Bodnia, but Iben Hjejle is a joy to watch as well. Even though the absence of Arvid seems disappointing at first, it soon becomes obvious that Torkel Petersson's Ludvig is more than enough to replace him – Ludvig's homicidal tendencies mix with his caring side rather hilariously.The familiar absurd undercurrent is still strong and the humour and action are in good balance, so those who enjoyed In China They Eat Dogs have no reason to miss out Old Men in New Cars. In the first movie there was a serious theme under the surface, namely a mild-mannered man's desire to be true to himself, and while the prequel feels a bit more straightforward, it also presents a dramatic story about familial love. In any case, both films belong among the best Danish films I have seen in a good while.
bastard wisher That's really all I can say about a film like this. I had very little interest in seeing this film to begin with, so that says something about my lack of enthusiasm all around I guess. If at all, I was slightly interested because the film does star Kim Bodnia from "Pusher", which I love. Oddly enough, the film seems to begin as something of a parody of "Pusher", which I assume was intentional, especially considering that the films also share another actor in a nearly identical role. From there the film (more or less) progresses in it's silly, oddball way, completely unengaging but totally harmless. It seemed to jerk unsteadily between conventional mainstream lowbrow comedy and what I can only assume is a more specified Danish brand of dark humor. Of the two, I definitely preferred the latter, that is, in the brief moments when I could understand it. Sometimes I had the feeling that, even then, I was missing the jokes and possibly laughing at unintended things. I have to admit that I found the most pleasure in this film from imagining it being remade as a sequel to Wes Anderson's "Bottle Rocket", for whatever that is worth.
Kalle Dannestam (karl_lundholm) Comedy at it's best! The humour in this picture varies from lighter more jackass'isch to dark satirical aspects and sometimes borderline evil. The plot is probably totally impossible to explain for someone that hasn't seen it, with twists far beyond comprehension; the turns are as many as they are crazy. The characters are twisted and shows both the best and the worst sides of humanity(or lack thereof). The only thing one could complain about is the music -you could wish for a bit more, but that's just a minor thing.There are several, independent, movies with the same characters which I highly recommend(all danish).
ruben-heim "Gamle maend in nye biler - Alte Männer in neuen Autos`, the prequel to "I kina spiser de hunde". Part-time-chef and gangster Harald is here again, together with his subordinates, including Vuk and his Serbian body-guard. New among them is a Swedish psychopath, specialized in killing every woman he meets. But not in Denmark. There he meets the love of his life. Like in "I kina..." the cold-storage room becomes the mortuary, cooking becomes side-line. Though Harald's subordinates would rather take part in a pastry competition instead of supporting his criminal machinations.Lasse Spang Olsen made a solid gangster flick but does not come up to "I Kina spiser de honde". Too much action too long, too much violence (esp. against Vuk), that does not result from comic accidents. Therefore, this "prequel" lacks the anarchic sense of humor, one would have expected. Solid, but not as good as "I kina.."
Similar Movies to Old Men in New Cars: In China They Eat Dogs II