Directed by:
Hans Petter MolandScreenplay:
Nikolaj ArcelCinematography:
John Andreas AndersenComposer:
Nicklas SchmidtCast:
Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Fares Fares, Pål Sverre Hagen, Jacob Lohmann, Amanda Collin, Johanne Louise Schmidt, Jakob Oftebro, Signe Mannov, Søren Pilmark (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
A desperate message in a bottle, written in blood by a boy being held captive, is received eight years after it was sent. It leads renegade cold case detectives Carl Mørck (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) and Assad (Fares Fares) to a shadowy religious community connected with a string of missing and murdered children - including two whose lives hang in the balance. The latest film in the gripping Department Q series - which have shattered box office records abroad - is another taut, tightly crafted whodunit steeped in chilling Gothic atmosphere. (IFC Films)
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Reviews (7)
I intentionally watch the movie adaptations of Jussie Adler-Olsen’s novels on TV. There are so many Scandinavian crime movies that it is quite nice to make things easier with some movie series. And with this one, I always had to get used to the main characters in the beginning, so that I could really enjoy the story afterward. But here, it is a little more complicated. Here, Carl Mørck actually looks as if he had a pineapple up his ass during the whole movie and he drops a solid piece of wisdom at the end of the whole film. Assad at least expresses a few emotions and his character salvages a lot. Fortunately, the movie has a very decent atmosphere and an absolutely ultimate psychopath in the form of Pål Sverre Hagen so you can be sure that each of you will find certain moments interesting. But overall, I was disappointed. I put the movie on about 5 times and I truly finished it only on my 5th try. I don’t know a beginning of a Scandinavian crime movie more lukewarm than this one.
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The routine and unsurprising first half suddenly changed into something more brutal, suspenseful and dark, which is
very satisfying. The villain is decent, like a weaker Edward Norton, but he cannot hold a candle to the beastly duo from
the second part. The third part doesn’t match the complexity of the second (The Absent One) or the overall quality of
the first (The Keeper of Lost Causes), but it remains a well-crafted genre film.
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The first half of the film is slower paced, while the second half showers us with excellent scenes like the train, the hospital and the finale, where the atmosphere can be sliced, the tension is swirling and there is a solid villain. The highlight of the trilogy was the middle part, but the final part is a good second; the opening part was only average. 75%
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Moland finally directed a film out of it and not an expensive pilot of a series. Black humor was added, which it lacked a lot. Unfortunately, in an attempt to remove a rather procedural model of twists and conflicts, he turned the second half of the film into a slightly absurd and illogical spectacle. The discomfort is further enhanced by the performance of Pål Sverre Hagen, whose monster is a rather awkward mixture of pederast and the square root of Javier Bardem.
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Nikolaj Lie Kaas was an absolutely great choice for the main role because his stern face and minimalism fit well with the character, making you unsure whether he's brilliant or simply uncertain. Certain illogicalities or rather unnecessary elements taken from the book slightly detract from the film, as they were included to avoid further truncation; for example, the murderer's "mistress" doesn't have much justification in the film. Still, it's an excellent thriller that will give you chills.
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