LILYHAMMER
Lilyhammer
****
Frank “The Fixer” Tagliano (Steven Van Zandt) is a thoroughly New Yoik mobster. There is a shooting in his bar. He snitches information to the FBI, and in return is granted a new identity, a new life and a fresh start in … Norway, Lillehammer to be precise. He swaps big time shoot outs and a life of power for a seemingly serene and obscure existence in a town that hasn’t seen excitement since 1994.
Remembering it looked nice on TV when they had the Olympics, Frank now has to negotiate the tricky terrain, swapping sartorial swagger for a pair of Moon Boots and donning a permanently bemused face when faced with the unfamiliar language. It’s an odd match to say the least, and one which acts as a catalyst for situations and characters that we haven’t seen before – a truly original culture clash that provides laughs with an unusual charm.
He’s certainly not in Kansas any more and with the move comes a shift in his enemies, transforming from the Mafia to that bloody annoying wolf that is roaming the town and the totalitarian manager at the local Job Centre. All sounds tame in the land of snow but even in such foreign lands, old habits rear their head. Some light bribery, the occasional use of blackmail, and an ever present ‘you scratch my back’ mentality keeps him firmly rooted in his East Coast ways.
He is the new ‘cool guy’ in town, the man everyone wants to hang around with, and he quickly garners the attention of the town’s unemployed who want to be a part of his effortless cool and American allure. He couldn’t care less if he shoots a wolf in the head and why would he? We assume he has done much worse.
Making his mark most notably as Tony Soprano’s right hand man in The Sopranos, Van Zandt is in familiar territory here, with his characteristic nonchalant demeanor, and wise guy remarks that made him a stand out character in The Sopranos still proving effective. Being the protagonist suits him, as he makes a subtle and dignified performance look all too easy. The twitch of his eye or a shrug of his shoulders can say far more than his words. As a result, the show has its own identity. It is a genuine pleasure to watch a character with such potential find his feet in this very odd adventure.
Published in The Student