''King's Game'' (''Kongekabale'') is a 2004 Danish

political thriller A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle; high stakes and suspense are the core of the story. The genre often forces the audiences to consider and understand the importance of politics. Th ...

film directed by

Nikolaj Arcel Nikolaj Arcel (born 25 August 1972) is a Danish filmmaker and screenwriter. He is best known for his 2012 film ''A Royal Affair'', which won two prizes at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival and which ...

. It stars Anders W. Berthelsen and Nicolas Bro as reporters uncovering a Government conspiracy. The film received critical praise and won many awards. Produced by Nimbus Film, ''King's Game'' was originally a book written by former parliamentary press officer Niels Krause Kjær.

Plot

Eleven days before the

parliamentary election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...

, the Centre Party's main candidate, who is about to become the next Danish Prime Minister, and his wife have a car accident. His situation is critical and nobody knows if he will survive. Even his wife, who is also hospitalised, is not informed. The next day, Torp is assigned to cover the election. Quickly, he is drawn into the internal power struggle in the Centre Party where two very different politicians, Erik Dreyer and Lone Kjeldsen, show interest in gaining power and potentially becoming the next prime minister. Torp, the son of a previous

justice minister A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

, writes his first front-page story after a tip-off from the Centre Party press coordinator, Peter Schou. The story turns out to be "planted spin" in order to damage Lone Kjeldsen (Nastja Arcel) to allow the advantage to Dreyer who benefits from her lost credibility. Ulrik is determined to get to the truth behind the lies that drive Kjeldsen's vulnerable husband to suicide. Tracing the misinformation to its source, he reveals what he knows to his editor and the paper's owner who turns out to be an old college friend of Dreyer. Both close ranks and Torp is fired. Torp tries to confront Dreyer over what he knows to be a cover-up of the death of the leader Aksel Brunn who is reported as being still on life support though sources tell him the man was "brain dead from day one". Even Brunn's 22-year-old son is paid off to back Dreyer's stalling but Dreyer dismisses Torp as an unemployed malcontent. Finally, by joining forces with a left-wing

stringer Stringer may refer to: Structural elements * Stringer (aircraft), or longeron, a strip of wood or metal to which the skin of an aircraft is fastened * Stringer (slag), an inclusion, possibly leading to a defect, in cast metal * Stringer (stairs), ...

, Henrik Moll (Nicolas Bro), Torp succeeds in exposing the plot and Dreyer on national television. However, the effects last only a short time before Dreyer's contacts and influence push him on a wave to the top.

Cast

* Anders W. Berthelsen – Ulrik Torp *

Søren Pilmark Søren Louis Pilmark (born 16 October 1955) is a Danish actor. Pilmark has worked as a film and theatrical actor, a director, and as an author. Søren Pilmark er sammen med hans kone Susanne ambassadør foSOS Børnebyerne Career Theater ...

– Erik Dreyer * – Lone Kjeldsen * Nicolas Bro – Henrik Moll * Lars Mikkelsen Peter Schou * Ulf Pilgaard – Gunnar Torp * Lars Brygmann – Mads *

Charlotte Munck Charlotte Munck (born 2 December 1969) is a Danish actress. She is notable for starring in the Danish police television drama '' Anna Pihl'' as the title character, which was aired on TV2. She was born in Aarhus and raised in Ørsted Djursla ...

– Mette Torp

Awards

The film won eight Robert Awards including Best Film.SBS Australia
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Distribution

King's Game was released in the UK in 2005 by Dogwoof Pictures. It was the first film released on the Digital Screen Network DSN, supported by the

UK Film Council The UK Film Council (UKFC) was a non-departmental public body set up in 2000 to develop and promote the film industry in the UK. It was constituted as a private company limited by guarantee, owned by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and ...

run by Arts Alliance Digital Cinema and was digitally projected on screens across the country. The intention of the DSN is that this will make it easier to show independent films in the UK as the distribution will be through electronic means rather than the transfer of physical film reels.

References

External links

*
Nimbus Film Official site
{{Robert Award for Best Danish Film 2000s political thriller films 2000s Swedish films 2004 drama films 2004 films Best Danish Film Bodil Award winners Best Danish Film Robert Award winners Danish political thriller films Danish thriller films Films about elections Films about journalists Films about politicians Films based on Danish novels Films directed by Nikolaj Arcel Films set in Copenhagen Nimbus Film films Swedish thriller films