Reykjavik-Rotterdam -- Film Review

PALM SPRINGS -- It's easy to see why "Reykjavik-Rotterdam," a lean and well-paced crime thriller of the one-last-job subgenre, has inspired an English-language redo. Iceland's entry in the foreign-language Oscar race might not be the usual Academy-favored fare, but its kinetic energy and bursts of brutal violence rest upon a solid foundation of well-defined characters and dry humor, however credulity-straining its event-laden final stretch. Whether the makeover, intended as a vehicle for Mark Wahlberg, will be infused with the same northern chill as this handsome widescreen feature remains to be seen.