Shorta is the Arabic word for police notes the opening scrawl for the film. A middle eastern teenager Talib Ben Hassi is killed by a chokehold in Copenhagen police custody after being arrested for excessive speeding eerily similar to the death of Eric Garner in New York and the lightning rod death of George Floyd in Minnesota. The police officers huddle to get their stories straight as the victim is in critical condition in hospital. The exception could be boy scout cop Jens Hoyer (Simon Sears) to get him to come round he is pared with Super Cop Mike Andersen (Jacob Lohmann) who reputation of not being afraid to bend the rules and use force well known to internal affairs.
The day starts out with light jabbing from Andersen to get a feel for Hoyer. On the radio updates of Ben Hassi's condition are regularly reported. Officers are reminded to stay out of the Svalegarden Ghetto a sprawling area of highrises and community mom & pop stores where a mainly middle eastern new immigrants reside. Surprisingly its Hoyer that leads the pair into harm's way running the plate of a known gangster who has a kid and potential recruit inside the vehicle. Once inside the Svalegarden maze, the anger at police is evident. They are on their way out when a minor infraction has Andersen seeing red. Leaving the pair trapped behind enemy lines when the news breaks that Talib Ben Hassi has died in hospital.
The Good Cop Bad Cop routine is as old as police work itself. Here directors Frederik Louis Hviid and Anders Olhom combine this relationship with the hot button topic of police brutality in a confined setting as a powder keg is about to explode for an expected and powerful outcome. There is no rescue coming for Andersen and Hoyer making the viewer harken back to films such as Training Day, Judge Dredd, and even New Jack City's The Carter as examples of complexes where law enforcement dare not tread.
Anderson has made the pair's situation even worse by refusing to give up his collar Amos (Tarek Zayat) a young kid that threw a milkshake at the cruiser windshield. The cops are pursued by roving gangs on foot and riding motorcycles as they try to make their way out of the complex to loaw enforcement perimeter support.
Jacob Lohmann sets the tone as the over intense Mike Andersen. He has the obligatory shades that he drops into place when the action is about to heat up. Hot headed he is quick to drop a racist remark, name call, or spout the theory that Denmark is not for Danes anymore. Simon Sears' Hoyer would rather keep silent stick to the job as he wears his wedding ring on a chain around his neck to keep his personal life private.
Shorta is a hyper adrenaline rush where the audience will find their rooting interest shift often throughout the film. A character's inner makeup that may appear offputting on the surface may turn out to be crucial in a life or death tight jam. It's a timely piece given the state of world affairs today and proof that tension between police and visible and/or ethnic minorities is not an American issue alone.
**** Out of 4.
Shorta | Frederik Louis Hviid / Anders Olholm | Denmark | 2020 | 108 Minutes.
Tags: Police Brutality, Choke Hold, Riots, Patrol, Good Cop Bad Cop, Ghetto, Denmark, Mace, Air Bags, Spray Paint.
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