Black Crab 2022 Movie Scene Noomi Rapace as Caroline Edh holding a sniper rifle after she shot Jakob Oftebro as Nylund on the ice

Black Crab AKA Svart Krabba [2022]

June 8, 2023

In a nutshell, Black Crab is a late eighties post-apocalyptic action movie without much action updated to today’s standards. As you can guess by its original title, Svart Krabba, this is Swedish movie starring probably the most famous Swedish actress Noomi Rapace. She gave a solid performance along with the rest of the cast. And right away I have to tell you that all the technical aspects of this movie were pretty good. The production values are excellent along with the cinematography and set design. On top of all of that, we have stunningly beautiful frozen landscapes that feel eerily alien. Like no human should be there.

The story takes place several years after the start of a brutal war. We will be following a group of soldiers trying to deliver a special package across the frozen sea. This operation is called Black Crab as the soldiers will have to ice-skate to get to their destination. Yes, these soldiers will be ice-skating, didn’t I already tell you that Black Crab is basically a late eighties post-apocalyptic movie? The soundtrack also features this swanky retro synthwave music fitting in perfectly with the rest of the elements. They were taking themselves completely seriously and trying to tell a grim story.

A grim story about a mother’s love for her daughter and the horrors of war. And since the war in Ukraine is still ongoing and not too far from Sweden and the whole of Europe, all of these elements feel more impactful. Just to be clear, Black Crab never clarifies who is this enemy the brave Swedes are fighting against. I think that lack of context made the movie feel even more generic than it already was. After the initial confusion, things become perfectly clear. We have the main objective, get this thing from point A to point B and that’s it. It almost feels like a video game you’re watching somebody play.

Caroline Edh and her daughter thought that today is a day like any other but they could not have been more wrong. It was the day when the realities of war came crashing down on both of them. We find Edh several years later, searching for her daughter. She’s now a battle-hardened soldier and this is why the government wants her for their latest mission. A mission that’s the only chance for the salvation of the entire country of Sweden.

The atmosphere in this movie is just palpably bleak and grim, matching the post-apocalyptic setting. However, I found Black Crab to be oddly relaxing, just like all the other similar movies. Because the character development was rudimentary, I wasn’t attached to any of the characters. Nor did I care what was going to happen with the mission. I was just tagging along for a ride. And I think this is the best approach to this movie. Especially since there are a lot of plot holes, contrived elements, and unnecessary scenes that make no sense. And just when you thought the movie is about to finish it continues.

So, Mr. Adam Berg and the rest of the crew, you clearly have a lot of talent and skill so keep things tight. You can feel the effort and sudden bursts of creativity oozing from certain scenes. And again, since most of the movie is taking place on this frozen ocean, the snowy vastness is almost hypnotizing. At times, Black Crab is terrifyingly effective, like, for example, when our crew stumbles upon something buried in the frozen lake. Something that really happened during WWII. I think that the title is rather unfortunate but then again it fucking screams eighties. And here’s an article about soldiers on ice skates throughout history. The more you know…

Finally, if you’re looking for similar movies, I recommend you check out Spectral. It follows a group of soldiers in a middle of a war stumbling upon something strange. Something strange and deadly. And you can always take a look at our Subversive Rabbit selection of Snow Movies.