Falcons (2002) is a 90 minute Icelandic drama with a bit of crime, a bit of love interest, a bit of scenery, and a metaphor that links the main character – an ex jail bird – with the smuggling of Icelandic Falcons - a real bird! That makes it sound ordinary, and it kind of is; but it has some things going for it. It has a creepy cop that is played really well (by Ingvar Eggert Sigurðssonan; see him in Cold Light 2004); and it has lurking within it some corny romantic yearnings. It also has Keith Carradine, which sold me as I'll watch anything with any member of the Carradine clan in it.
Regarding the scenery, all Icelandic cinema must be said to benefit, and Keith Carradine is scenery in himself. He plays his suicidal ex-con with the professional ease that one would expect from his family. The second half of the film is shot in Germany, and is also less rewarding on scenery, except of the uber urban kind; Hamberg actually, seedy and dangerous; and here Hark Bohm plays a louche and respectably evil man of the world, who has but one line to say:
As we know, Hollywood is crowded with talent so that is why Keith Carradine must travel to Iceland to achieve a decent film lead, escaping his hell of American television.; and it’s on this playing field he meets Hark Bohm. Highly expressive of character Hark Bohm is an actor who any director would want to hire, even if it is only for a couple of lines. Bohm is sitting down in his role in this, but he can also change size when you are watching him. In some films (Effi Briest) you are surprised how tall he is; though Hannah Schygulla whom he acts with in that is small. Sometimes, as next to Günter Lamprecht in Berlin Alexanderplatz, Hark Bohm cowers and appears small and weasly. In Falcons Hark Bohm makes a huge impact; he’s dressed like a part of the set; he is also powerful and that is a cinematic turn on. He’s sitting down.
Both Hark Bohm and David Carradine have faces that can speak volumes about the character they’re acting, and can both be instantly forgotten once the show is over; providing the show is quite forgettable also. This makes them suitable for television, although I don’t think it’s either actor’s natural home. Bohm is certainly a good choice for his part here. So good that his entire 2 second appearance is featured in the film’s trailer.