Nikolaj Coster-Waldau courts death in the mystery drama Exit Plan

Exit Plan is the upcoming mystery-drama starring Game of Thrones alum Nicolaj Coster-Waldau, and is a dual language English/Danish production that was originally titled Selvmordsturisten – which my linguistic spider-sense translates as ‘Suicide Tourist’. It’s the sophomore feature from both director Jonas Alexander Arnby and writer Rasmus Birch, who worked together on the 2014 Danish horror-mystery When Animals Dream.

Coster-Waldau stars as Max Isaksen, an insurance investigator specialising in life insurance claims. He’s tasked with investigating a claim from a widow whose husband has disappeared without a trace, except for a video stating that he intended to take his own life. This leads Max, who’s dealing with his own struggles, to the remote and mysterious Aurora Hotel which seemingly offers assisted suicide as one of its standard services. But much like the Eagles’ Hotel California, you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

The official plot synopsis is as follows:

Insurance detective Max is investigating Arthur’s disappearance. The assignment takes him on a long, mysterious journey into the clandestine Aurora Hotel. While in the midst of an existential crisis, Max questions his perception of reality.

Let’s take a look:

This is one of those movies that you’ll either love or hate because it seems like a very slow-paced drama that’s far more focused on character than plot. Fortunately for me I really like Coster-Waldau as an actor and character-focused dramas, so I’m perfectly happy to watch him work through his issues. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a mystery to unravel though, and the hotel he’s investigating clearly has plenty of secrets of its own and is not as benevolent as it appears.

What do you think?

Exit Plan is due for release via digital and on-demand on 12 June. It also stars Tuva Novotny, Sonja Richter, Robert Aramayo, Solbjørg Højfeldt, and Jan Bijvoet.

Last Updated: May 21, 2020