The Outsider Review: 3 Ups & 7 Downs

2. Martin Zandvliet's Disappointingly Bland Direction

Danish filmmaker Martin Zandvliet earned strong acclaim for directing the 2015 Oscar-nominated war drama Land of Mine, but little of that flair or artistry is apparent in this follow-up, which basically resembles a project shot by a studio hack-for-hire.

It's especially interesting as legendary Japanese director Takashi Miike was originally intended to helm the project, and one can only imagine how his more outlandish, feverish direction could've at least somewhat elevated the forgettable material.

Zandvliet's more patient, reined-in style, meanwhile, feels ill-suited for such a shamelessly derivative project. This movie needed a filmmaker with energetic, stylish panache, rather than the deliberate slow-crawl of a director well-versed in "art-house" fare.