Lynet: A case of mistaken identity that gets real messy

Is it worth your time?

If you have a soft spot for black-and-white comedies from the 30s where everyone talks a little too fast and wears excellent hats, you’ll dig Lynet. It’s not going to change your life, but it’s a fun way to kill an hour if you don't mind the subtitles. If you need explosions or modern pacing, stay far, far away. You’ll be bored within the first ten minutes.

The whole premise is classic stuff—the poor sap trying to climb the ladder of success by being someone else. Poul isn't a bad guy, he’s just desperate. And honestly, who wouldn't be tempted to swap lives with a legend, even a criminal one? Watching him try to navigate the film world while dodging the real Lightning is like watching someone try to juggle while riding a unicycle.

There is this one scene where Poul is practicing his 'criminal face' in the mirror, and the camera just lingers on his ridiculous expressions. It goes on way too long, and it's actually pretty funny because you can see him trying so hard to be intimidating while looking like a total dork. It’s the kind of small, human moment you don’t get in the big blockbusters.

It’s not quite as punchy as Little Caesar, which is obviously a different beast entirely. Lynet feels lighter, more like a stage play that wandered onto a film set. The lighting is super dramatic, all shadows and sharp angles, which makes the scenes where the real criminal shows up feel surprisingly tense for an old comedy.

Some quick notes from the sidelines:

• The wardrobe department clearly spent the whole budget on trench coats.
• The side characters are mostly just there to look confused, which they do very well.
• There’s a moment in the second act where the pacing just completely falls off a cliff, but it picks back up once the real criminal actually starts doing stuff.
• I swear the actor playing Poul is doing a bit of an impression of every lead I've seen in films like Prince or Clown. It’s got that same frantic energy.

The movie is a bit uneven, sure. The middle section drags its feet, and there were moments where I wanted to yell at the screen for Poul to just go home and get a different job. But the payoff is decent. It doesn't overreach, and it knows exactly what it is—a silly, slightly stressful romp through a version of Copenhagen that feels like a noir stage set. 🕵️‍♂️

Also, does anyone else think the prison escape scene was filmed in a basement somewhere? It looks like they just turned the lights off and told everyone to act like they were running away. It’s charming in a 'we have no money left' kind of way.