Der Mann aus Mallorca

I am fond of Scandinavian (particularly Swedish and Danish) crime thrillers and I have tried to watch them as much as possible. It is not often that you come across with respective films before 1990ies as the international boom and fame started after that.

Still, Bo Widerberg is a film-maker worth (re-)discovering, as his approach is different from ordinary Beck-Wallander type of series. They have more action and twists, are less static, contain scenes and lines that make you giggle, and policemen are "ordinary" persons with their odd apprehensions and weaknesses... Additionally, a good overview of the 1980ies Stockholm, with the clear domination of Volvos and Saabs. In spite of some similarities with famous thrillers from the prior decade, the film in question is an independent witty story, not a copy or remake adapted for Sweden. Performances are good as well, I particularly liked Sven Wollter as Jarnebring and Ernst Günther as Dahlgren.

Well, the ending is realistic, but creates a kind of discontent, as the story is not round up in "clear" manner. Nevertheless, based on the circumstances above, Mannen från Mallorca is a film that could be shown on TV or cinematheques more often.

Surprising, far from Hollywood clichés and expected, predictable lines, this Scandinavian - Sweden - crime thriller is so exciting, as was COP ON THE ROOF, from the very same director, a brilliant, sophisticated film maker, who did not make only crime films though. Such a shame. You are always surprised here, nothing foreseeable, and maybe that contributes to make it a bit complex to follow for "southern" or "western" audiences. The only thing maybe borrowed from Hollywood is the cop in tandem crew, some kind of buddy movie, but without being LETHAL WEAPON either. Not an action genuine crime flick but with action scenes however. I highly recommend it.

Great dialogue, very exciting story and a superb cast - especially Von Brömssen, Vollter and Günther!!

This movie is an excellent time document full of critic towards swedish society in the early '80s.

I've seen it 20-25 times and I always enjoy watching it again!

I got tricked into watching Mannen från Mallorca (or The Man From Majorca for the English title) by reading the extremely positive reviews for this movie, going from "Close to perfection" to "A mindboggling crime story" or even "Best swedish movie ever!!". Best Swedish movie ever, that's from reviewer johannes-62391, that watched this movie 20 to 25 times, yes I know it's laughable as who on earth would watch a movie that many times? Needless to tell you that this reviewer only has two reviews, and is probably Swedish. You get what I mean... I wished IMDb would do something about these kind of reviews. That said this movie is just okay, was probably better when it came out but it didn't age very well. The acting is okay, the story on the other hand is a bit confusing, a bit boring, lacking action. In short I wouldn't waste your time with this one.

An intriguing, engrossing thriller with agile camerawork and interesting characters. And it all takes place in faraway Sweden, which, for some of us, is unfamiliar and fascinating. Fans of foreign films will enjoy this and I think it would appeal as well to those who don't often see foreign films.