King's Game (2004) - Synopsis

"Man, I miss the game! It's the best thing about Parliament."

Shot in beautiful crisp tones of blue and silver, the corridors of power have never looked cooler or more aloof. In a time when politics has been spun into cynical zero-sum games of power- brokers and fourth estate, this Award winning Thriller both exhilarates and dismays in equal measure. Three weeks to go to a general election. The Centre Party's hopes of an easy win have quite literally shattered with the exploding windscreen of the car carrying their Party Chairman, leaving his life and the party's leadership uncertain: with machinations worthy of David Mamet, the key party figures set to angling, bluff and double bluff to gain the top spot. The pawn in this ‘king's game' is political reporter Ulrik Torp (Anders W. Berthelsen), new to the job and only too eager to follow a tip-off ousting the skeleton in the closet of one of the contenders, but their man is less malleable than he seems – determined to bring the truth to the voting public, Torp embarks on a desperate eleventh hour mission to prove foul play – with the support of his wife, and frequent interruptions from his four-year-old daughter. This Danish touch with characterisation makes this smart picture outstanding, not an exercise in style or cynicism but a place where what happens truly matters.