Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • Thank You
    • 4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)
    • 3999. The Pianist (2002)
    • 3998. Philadelphia (1993)
    • 3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
    • 3996. The Green Mile (1999)
    • 3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
    • 3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»1776. Devil’s Island (1996)

    1776. Devil’s Island (1996)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on June 3, 2017 1996, 6 - 7.9, 90-99 mins, Comedy, Drama, Iceland, Jun 17, Movies Of 2017, Review
    7.3 Pretty bleak
    • Acting 7.4
    • Directing 7.3
    • Story 7.3
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Baltasar Kormákur, Sveinn Geirsson, Gísli Halldórsson

    Director: Friðrik Þór Friðriksson

    Running Time: 99 mins


    Devil’s Island (Djöflaeyjan) is an Icelandic film about the lives of the families residing in the barracks left behind by American soldiers after World War Two.

    This is a properly dark and depressing black comedy. Definitely not intended to make you burst out laughing, but rather watch on at some pretty bleak family drama, Devil’s Island is a clever, although not always hard-hitting watch.

    Let’s start off on the slightly brighter side, with the fact that, as bleak as this film can be, it’s an engaging watch from start to finish. Centring around the events that unfold when a once reserved young man returns home from America during the 50s, you get a good impression of a different perspective of the rock and roll generation.

    Rather than taking a similar tack to the likes of Rebel Without A Cause, Devil’s Island simply shows that that sort of arrogant, unruly and “cool” behaviour just won’t wash, especially in a small community in Iceland.

    That’s another interesting line the film takes, the insight you get into this small community of previously homeless people now residing in the former US Army barracks. Apart from being a true fact that I knew absolutely nothing about, the magnitude of one person either returning or leaving is clearly enormous, something that forms the core of this film’s story.

    So, the fact is that this film is pretty bleak. It shows a once reserved man turn into a completely different and loathsome person as he wreaks havoc on his family and the local community. What’s more is the fact that the story is fill of hugely unforgiving and even more depressing individual moments, all of which just seem so unfair.

    So what makes this film a comedy? Well, as hard as it may be to believe, the story’s often insanely bleak nature brings you to a point where you have to laugh. It’s a seriously black comedy, but with some good writing and performances, it makes for an engaging watch throughout.

    The only issue that I would have with this film is the fact that it’s not particularly hard-hitting. It may be depressing and bleak, but there was never a time where the potential emotional effect of the story worked well, and as a result, I felt the film was lacking in proper resonance, which was a shame to see.

    Overall, I liked Devil’s Island, and as bleak as it is at times, it can be a very engaging watch, albeit not quite so emotionally impressive, and that’s why I’m giving it a 7.3.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. From January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2022, he watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    8.2

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    8.2
    December 25, 2022

    3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

    5.6
    December 10, 2022

    3969. Falling For Christmas (2022)

    6.9
    December 4, 2022

    3956. The People We Hate At The Wedding (2022)

    5.4
    December 3, 2022

    3954. Disenchanted (2022)

    7.4
    December 3, 2022

    3953. Meet Cute (2022)

    7.6
    November 23, 2022

    3934. Do Revenge (2022)

    7.0
    November 18, 2022

    3929. The Wonder (2022)

    6.7
    November 13, 2022

    3924. See How They Run (2022)

    Recommended Movies
    8.0
    Review
    October 26, 20210

    3526. The Rescue (2021)

    8.3
    Review
    January 10, 20150

    812. American Sniper (2014)

    8.2
    Review
    May 15, 20190

    2553. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)

    8.8
    Review
    December 16, 20130

    384. Prisoners (2013)

    8.2
    Review
    February 7, 20200

    2848. Birds Of Prey (2020)

    Popular Posts
    December 31, 2022

    Thank You

    8.2
    December 31, 2022

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8
    December 30, 2022

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2
    December 29, 2022

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    7.5
    December 28, 2022

    3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

    9.1
    December 27, 2022

    3996. The Green Mile (1999)

    7.6
    December 26, 2022

    3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.