Kormakur, who directed and co-wrote the script with Edward Martin Weinman, falls short in the story department and even shorter in evoking the droll, twisted humor that must carry the day.

This is a very dark, very pretty picture (photographed by ttar Gunason) that has little else to offer, and its ending, at least for my taste, was a little corny.

...needlessly arty...

The director also has a strong visual sense, turning the barren wastelands of Minnesota into the visual equivalent of the Reagan era of corporate greed in which the story is set.