British Film Institute - London Film Festival

Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases

Search cinema listings

Browse cinemas A-Z

Search 20,000 reviews

 

The Slingshot (1993)

Director: Åke Sandgren

Average user rating
No reviews

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

It doesn't take long to realise that Jesper Salén's 12-year-old Roland is going to have a hard time in '20s Stockholm: daddy's a rampant socialist with a dodgy back; mum's an expatriate Russian (and Jewish); his schoolmaster is stern and handy with the cane. With suffering duly dispatched, it's time for the dash of eccentricity - to the lad's rescue comes a handy box of prophylactics, banned by the authorities but actively distributed by the welfare-conscious Red underground. A condom catapult earns Roland social acceptability - but also, eventually, a place in reform school. Given assured performances and a convincing, unshowy production job, these events proceed convincingly enough. It's just that the director plods through it all with the flattening style of a TV movie.

Author: TJ

Time Out Film Guide


  • Print this page
  • Send to a friend

What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields





Top Stories

A Bond a day: No.7 'Diamonds Are Forever'

A Bond a day: No.7 'Diamonds Are Forever'

Join Time Out as we revisit the 21 official James Bond movies to celebrate the release of 'Quantum of Solace'

Steve McQueen on 'Hunger'

Steve McQueen on 'Hunger'

Dave Calhoun meets artist Steve McQueen’s whose debut feature film, ‘Hunger’, is the story of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands

Producer Stephen Woolley on ‘How to Lose Friends and Alienate People’

Producer Stephen Woolley on ‘How to Lose Friends and Alienate People’

Stephen Woolley, recalls the near catastrophes he had to contend with in bringing Toby Young’s memoir to the screen

Paul Newman: 1925 – 2008

Paul Newman: 1925 – 2008

Paul Newman died at his Connecticut home this weekend, at the age of 83. We look back at one of the great movie careers of the twentieth century

Richard Attenborough: interview

Richard Attenborough: interview

‘Entirely Up to You, Darling’ is the long-awaited autobiography from Sir Richard Attenborough. David Jenkins meets him in his Richmond home

Hard hacks to follow

Hard hacks to follow

To celebrate the release of 'How To Lose Friends and Alienate People', Time Out pick some of the toughest journalistic gigs in cinema