The trial, punishment, and eventual release of a charismatic and womanising thief frame the central plot of På slaget åtte. The criminal’s lawyer, Bagle, is struggling financially and relies on his half-sister, Vera. Beautiful, wealthy, and manipulative, Vera is consumed by jealousy after her soon-to-be ex-husband, Olav, finds a new girlfriend. She will stop at nothing to prevent the divorce – just as Bagle will stop at nothing to secure his fortune. Oslo has never appeared more menacing than in this 1957 film. The city’s usually quiet streets are populated by shadowy figures, and the elegantly furnished villas in the idyllic residential outskirts provide no refuge from a killer on the loose. Modern technology is omnipresent, playing an ambiguous role: plane tickets, tape recorders, photographs, and telephones serve both as tools in the siblings’ sinister schemes and as crucial evidence. It is ultimately Olav’s new partner, Liv – a sharp-witted and resourceful stewardess – who pieces together the clues and takes action to save him. Nils R. Müller was one of Norway’s most prolific directors, with more than 20 films to his name. His best-known work, the musical comedy Vi gifter oss (We’re Getting Married, 1951), explores Oslo’s postwar housing crisis, and throughout his career, he engaged with themes such as homosexuality, immigration, prison reform, and gender equality. På slaget åtte remains his only foray into film noir, a genre he approached with clear influences from both American crime films and Hitchcock’s suspenseful storytelling.

Irene Torp Halvorsen