Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- bleak
- disturbing
- intimate
- serious movie night
- arthouse thriller night
What critics said
Critics generally recognized a gripping, emotionally forceful Danish thriller with strong performances, though many found its moral drama uneven and overly contrived.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The plot centers on decent people losing their grasp on justice after an unbearable family tragedy.
Police work, domestic violence, and family tragedy drive the film's tense conflict.
The Danish production and focus on family crisis, institutional responsibility, and moral compromise fit this tradition.
The premise treats humane intentions as potentially destructive when tragedy overwhelms judgment.
Films like A Second Chance, and why
Prisoners
Shared psychological thriller intensity, domestic tragedy, and morally destabilizing questions about justice.
The Hunt
Shared bleak family drama, ethical ambiguity, and emotionally devastating consequences of a personal crisis.
In a Better World
Shared Scandinavian social realism, escalating moral pressure, and the collapse of ordinary domestic stability.
Movie Details
- Director
- Susanne Bier
- Release Date
- 2015-01-15
- Runtime
- 103 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (165)
Cast
- Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
- Ulrich Thomsen
- Nikolaj Lie Kaas
- May Andersen
- Maria Bonnevie
- Kirsten Lehfeldt
- Peter Haber
- Ewa Fröling
- Thomas Bo Larsen
- Bodil Jørgensen
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, Fandor Amazon Channel, FlixFling
- Rent
- Amazon Video, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is A Second Chance about?
- A Danish police drama becomes a harrowing moral thriller when family tragedy makes justice feel dangerously uncertain.
- What is A Second Chance like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Second Chance as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is A Second Chance violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in A Second Chance as moderate.
- What did critics think of A Second Chance?
- Critics generally recognized a gripping, emotionally forceful Danish thriller with strong performances, though many found its moral drama uneven and overly contrived.
- Which films are like A Second Chance?
- Films with a similar feel include Prisoners, The Hunt, and In a Better World.
- How long is A Second Chance?
- A Second Chance runs 103 minutes.
- Where can I watch A Second Chance?
- In United States, A Second Chance streams on Philo, Fandor Amazon Channel, FlixFling.
