Ein Fall für Annika Bengtzon: Der Rote Wolf

this whole series is actually a mediocre one if compares to other mysteries out of Scandinavian TV industries. screenplays were so badly crafted and then further deteriorated by poor directing and editing. the only thing that this series still worth viewing was the main female crime reporter herself, played by Malin Crépin, a female actor who performed naturally, a quite likable persona that viewers would like to watch just because of her. the settings related to her work, those supporting roles in the newspapers were not quite good, the whole series relied heavily on flash back, all crimes had to be rewound back and back again, one by one. it's like Korean TV drama series, characters have to talk to themselves by murmuring all the time to help explaining something that poor screenplays and directors usually could not do. this series also got limited actors to play the roles, we often saw an actor in one episode appeared in the next one with different role, but the face was just too familiar to be smoothly transformed into another one. the whole series only got one above average episode, the one about the Nobel prize murder case. others episodes, like this one and "prime time" were simply too flat, dumb and awkward to be watched, you need two factors that might enable you to complete the whole series: time and patience, i.e., if you got some leisure time to waste and if you got enough patience. otherwise, it's a pain in the neck to watch along.

i was also disgusted by the poor screenplay of this episode that showed the heroine's true color: a news hound without emotion and empathy. she told the tabloid to expose the teenager who was later killed by the serial killer. when she heard that young man was killed because of her, she seemed to give no darn at all; when she saw her longtime boyfriend/husband had an affair, her reaction also not quite like a normal female. the poor screenplay just made her with a robotic personality, a woman only got certain degrees of emotions to her two kids, but remote and almost without any feeling to others.

It's really an excellent series with great flow and pacing. Tense and gritty. Only Malin Crépin is simply too distracting. It's enough having to read the subtitles, without being distracted by this ridiculously beautiful woman. I think casting should consider that males although evolved with some ability to control themselves, might be viewers and maybe unable to control biology. She is an excellent actress but detracts from the sheer quality of the show, with her looks. The story lines are superb and the scenery is brilliant. It has great atmosphere as well. I like the fact that even such a stunning woman, can have marital problems. Her problems balancing work and children resonates as well.

The film in question follows the footsteps of several famous Scandinavian crime dramas with "feminine approach", i.e. the leading character is a strong woman who does well in masculine environment or even outperforms her associates. Usually they are based on book by female authors, and topics deal with "softer" values rather than harsh and nasty felonies. Similar to e.g. Dicte, Annika Bengtzon is a journalist, but both the character itself and performance are somewhat weaker than Iben Hjejle's Dicte; moreover, there are some sidelines not providing additional value to the course of events (Annika's family problems), and the ones depicting evil are quite inexpressive. On the other hand, the plot itself is intriguing and as I did not figure out the real killer, I can give 7 overall points. And as it was my first familiarisation with Liza Marklund / Annika Bengtzon, I would not like to express blunt criticism, perhaps they did not just "open" fully to me at first sight.

This series is far better than its title (reminiscent of juvenile fiction) would lead one to believe. The series, adaptations of the books of Liza Marklund, comprises six 90-minute episodes, each representing a story that the main character, Annika Bengtzon, a crime reporter for a Stockholm newspaper, is pursuing. Each story is complete in itself, the thread that runs through them being the newspaper's staff, Bengtzon, and her personal life. Filmed in Sweden with a Swedish cast (and thus with English subtitles), the series features excellent cinematography and high production values. The stories are interesting; the time devoted to Bengtzon's pursuit of the story and the effect of her career on her personal life is well balanced; and the cast, especially Malin Crépin as Bengtzon, are effective. All six episodes can be streamed on Netflix.

It's unfortunate this great series was only six episodes, it was such a pleasure to watch. This crime drama is all Malin Crepin.. bit.ly/14ierxC... and she is sensational. She could easily come to the US and be a huge success.. cameras just adore her. There are few women having such natural beauty, where makeup adds so little to their allure. As for the show, it's more like six movies strung together with her characters job and immediate on-screen family linking them all. The remainder of the cast is good... but by script design, and her beauty and talent, no one stands out anywhere near as much as she does. There are not many thirty-something actresses that could be dressed down into loose t-shirts, dungaree shorts, black & white sneakers, and look as desirable. One unrealistic part of the plot, you'd have to be completely out of your mind to even consider divorcing her.