The Dark Side of HSBC

This new commercial that is showing in England has me wondering...

A friend of mine sent me the link to the spot with a big "WTF?". I have to say that my very first reaction was exactly the same.

It is a very good movie, nice music, great photography, no doubt, but it exudes suuuuch a dark mood that I find it plain weird for a bank, even though this may be the first "memorable" ad from HSBC. I am just not sure the dark and somewhat violent tone helps with the message.

Here is the spot:

Just in case you didn't notice, the lumberjack is the one that bails out the tree-hugger. It is not clear if they are brother and sister or a couple; I just hope they are siblings, otherwise I don't see that couple lasting too long.

I am still torn between what seems like a good movie -aesthetically- and what I feel may not be the best images to link to a bank. My friend though he is sure that the message is: "Don't get near the HSBC!"

What do you think?

Thanks Paulo for the ad!