There is a tender story about paternal love and the desire to do right by one's family within A Second Chance but, regrettably, Bier's brand of melodrama derails it before it begins.
A Second Chance(En chance til)
Denmark, Sweden · 2015
1h 43m
Director Susanne Bier
Starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Ulrich Thomsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Maria Bonnevie
Genre Thriller, Drama
Add to Watchlist
Please login to add films to your watchlist.
Detectives and best friends Andreas and Simon lead vastly different lives; Andreas has settled down with his beautiful wife and son; while Simon, recently divorced, spends most of his waking hours getting drunk at the local strip club. But all that changes when the two of them are called out to a domestic dispute between a junkie couple, caught in a vicious cycle of violence and drugs.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
Time Out London by Dave Calhoun
The thriller tendencies here are as half-cocked as its compassion for the struggles of parenthood, even if there are some admirable, if hard-to-watch, moments when Bier refuses to turn away from horror and pain.
The Telegraph by Mike McCahill
This tale, more mechanical than human, is finally beyond [Bier's] skillset: it required ruthless tinkering, not the softly-softly approach.
A decent cast gives it more credibility than it deserves.
Users who liked this film also liked
In a Better World
(Hævnen)
When we are pushed to the edge, we discover the difference between justice and revenge.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Denmark, Sweden • 2010
- Director Susanne Bier
- Cast Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, Ulrich Thomsen, William Jøhnk Nielsen, Markus Rygaard, Martin Buch
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV
Outrage
(アウトレイジ)
The tricky jobs that no-one wants to do always end up in Otomo’s lap.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2010
- Director Takeshi Kitano
- Cast Sôichirô Kitamura, Tomokazu Miura, Jun Kunimura, Tetta Sugimoto, Takeshi Kitano, Eihi Shiina
- Genre Action, Crime, Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, FlixFling, Crackle, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, VUDU Free, DistroTV, Kanopy
Bullhead
(Rundskop)
The past always catches up.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Belgium, Netherlands • 2011
- Director Michaël R. Roskam
- Cast Matthias Schoenaerts, Jeroen Perceval, Jeanne Dandoy, Barbara Sarafian, Tibo Vandenborre, Frank Lammers
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on Fandor Amazon Channel, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Pluto TV, Freevee, Kanopy, Hoopla, Plex, Plex Channel
Mama
A Mother's Love is Forever
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Canada, Spain • 2013
- Director Andy Muschietti
- Cast Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier, Isabelle Nélisse, Daniel Kash, Melina Matthews
- Genre Horror
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand
Lion
A five-year-old Indian boy gets lost on the streets of Calcutta, thousands of kilometers from home.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Australia, United States • 2016
- Director Garth Davis
- Cast Sunny Pawar, Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, David Wenham, Nicole Kidman, Abhishek Bharate
- Genre Drama
- Available on fuboTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Hoopla, Plex Channel
Public Friends
(Amis publics)
Big heart Robbers !
- ✭ ✭
- France • 2016
- Director Edouard Pluvieux
- Cast Kev Adams, Vincent Elbaz, Paul Bartel, Chloé Coulloud, John Eledjam, Majid Berhila
- Genre Comedy
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Small Crimes
A former cop struggles to escape his dark past.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Canada, United States • 2017
- Director E.L. Katz
- Cast Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Jacki Weaver, Robert Forster, Gary Cole, Molly Parker, Macon Blair
- Genre Drama, Comedy, Thriller, Crime
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads