Upamanyu Biswas
Netflix’s ‘Trouble’ follows Conny, a down-on-his-luck salesman, who gets embroiled in a massive murder conspiracy while installing a TV in a client’s house. After being wrongfully imprisoned for the murder, Conny’s life is thrown into further turmoil as he tries to navigate his strained relationship with his daughter. Desperate to salvage his situation, Conny makes up a plan to clear his name by finding the real perpetrator behind the killing. However, first, he must team up with two criminals who want to recruit him as a pilot for their schemes. The Swedish film features a healthy dose of slapstick comedy amidst its tense action thriller premise.
Director Jon Holmberg captures the balance between the two sides of the movie, allowing the severity of Conny’s predicament to dictate the emotional beats while still punctuating it with humor where necessary. Undoubtedly, the film’s central premise of a protagonist caught in the wrong place at the wrong time may seem amusing on the surface, but it speaks to a sense of arbitrariness that makes his journey all the more relatable, warranting a deeper examination of the story and themes and how it came to fruition as a project.
Trouble is a Remake of a Classic Swedish Action Movie
Originally titled ‘Strul,’ ‘Trouble’ is a fictional story crafted by director Jon Holmberg and co-writer Tapio Leopold. The movie is a remake of an eponymous 1988 hit Swedish film by Jonas Frick from a script developed by Bengt Palmers and Björn Skifs, which, similarly to the Holmberg directorial, delves into the exploits of a luckless protagonist who gets trapped in a much larger plot. In the original, Conny is a chemistry teacher who is framed in a drug racket and subsequently finds himself navigating the complexities of living behind bars. The remake shakes up Conny’s backstory by depicting him as a salesman at a local electronics store instead.
While deviating in some aspects, the movie embraces the original premise, offering its own update and twist on things through a more modern setting. As such, the focus primarily lies on its execution and exploring a heightened scenario through an intertwining plot. Through Conny’s exploits, viewers get a glimpse at a major conspiracy story with corrupt cops, failing institutions, the criminal underworld, and, most importantly, an underdog protagonist with the world set against him. A large part of the narrative is set around the prison where Conny is locked up and how he settles into its ruthless environment. The film uses this to its advantage by setting up comical scenarios that border on heart-racing and brutal.
In an interview, the movie’s producer, Anna Carlsten, shared her views on the remake by saying, “It’s a fish-out-of-water comedy at a fast pace and with a lot of humor – speed, and action from start to finish!” She doubled down on the strength of the original movie’s concept, which resonated with fans for its blend of action, humor, and intrigue. Even if it promises a straightforward story, the movie’s entertainment comes from the seemingly impossible ways in which the protagonist finds himself caught in a spider’s web. It engenders a great deal of sympathy for him while also never taking his fallacies to an extreme level, which would only alienate those watching.
A Relatable Protagonist Becomes the Focal Point in Trouble
One of the main reasons the film works so well is the presence of a relatable protagonist who drives through challenges the same way any ordinary person might. Although Conny’s constant lack of awareness, luck, and being on the wrong side of situations makes him a deer in the headlights in most circumstances, it also allows the viewers to connect with him on a deeper level. The script harnesses this connection as he confronts more and more complex situations the further the story moves along. The only good thing in the protagonist’s life is his relationship with his daughter, for whom he would lay down his life if necessary. However, the obstacles in the movie drive a deep wedge between the father-daughter pair.
Still, Conny does not lose hope as he forges ahead, seeking to make amends for his failings, even though they are not entirely his own. The heavy themes never drag the film’s tone down; instead, they only add to the emotional aspects while also providing fuel to more hilarious setups. Through them, he goes through a character arc that may have been well-trodden in the past, but it still captures the authenticity of a father giving it his all to be with his daughter, no matter the cost. Most importantly, he learns to step out of his comfort zone and actually rectify his inadequacies, which serve him better in the long run. Thus, the movie’s elevated drama is rooted in a version of emotional truth that far outweighs its outlandish events.
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