The Blacksmith (2024) – Hammer, Anvil, Action…And A Bit of Headache

So, just got out from the cinema – and I’m still hearing the clang, clang, clang in my head. The Blacksmith, directed by none other than Patty Jenkins (yup, she’s swapped Wonder Woman for welding masks now) tries to bang together old-school craftsmanship with some big, loud Hollywood flair. And what do you know… it kinda-sorta works? Maybe.

I mean, first up – Denzel Washington as the grumpy old smith is pure class. Honestly, the dude could read IKEA instructions and I’d pay to watch. And Timothée Chalamet, running round the forge with his soft hair and lost puppy eyes, is maybe not the first bloke who comes to mind when you think blacksmith. But he holds up. Sort of like when you eat köttbullar at a sketchy grillkiosk – you know it’s wrong but you just go with it.

Steven Spielberg had his fingerprints all over as executive producer, and yeah, sometimes you feel it. There’s that warm, glowy vibe sneaking in from the sides, like Swedish summer evenings when you just want fika forever. Though the script (by Taylor Sheridan, believe it or not) gets a bit too obsessed with the whole “I’m a blacksmith, but I’m really forging my destiny” thing. Like, okay, vi fattar.

A bit personal: anvils and awkwardness

It actually took me back to a weird week in Värmland, ’98, when granddad forced me to help at his garage. Man, the smell of burned steel and failed attempts at being handy haunt me to this day. The film gets those senses bang-on – the sweat, the grit, the noise. But it lost me a bit with those melodramatic sword-fighting scenes – what is this, Game of Thrones på lågpris?

I dunno. Maybe it’s a film for those who’ve always wanted to see Chalamet wield a hammer, or folks who miss seeing Denzel looking grumpy. If you bring your mum, she’ll probably think it’s “charming”. Me? I had fun, but my ears are shot and my craving for real rakor med bröd tripled after.

Worth a watch with your buddies. Just – bring earplugs and super-low expectations for logic.

watch the full movie on Mavshack Movies on YouTube

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