Salige er de som tørster

"Salige er de som tørster" was a pretty good Norwegian police-thriller. It is about a girl who is brutally raped and the police`s investigation. This thriller is well executed and it does sometime become a bit exciting, but sometimes the movie seems to "run out of gas", it becomes a bit slow. All in all, this is a step in the right direction for Norwegian films. One of the best Norwegian films you could see. 7/10

The hero in author Anne Holt's novels: homicide detective Hanne Wilhelmsen and her colleagues was first introduced to Norwegians in the TV-series "Blind gudinne". This time around -in feature film format- the editing and the cinematography is (thank God) less hectic than in it's small screen debut. In this second filming of a Holt novel a brutal rape is one of many high priority cases at the Oslo Police Headquarters. At the same time the department is puzzled over a series of huge spills of blood turning up around the city, without any known victims. Interesting storyline with strong performances by Oftebro and Jynge as father and daughter - a family on the verge of breakdown after she's raped. But the movie -and the TV-series big miss is Elvik's portrayal of the female crime fighting hero 'Wilhelmsen'. She seems so cold and sober that it is almost impossible to develop any feelings whatsoever for her.

To be honest I thought this was going to be some kind of lesbian vampire movie. Just goes to show what relying on a very brief summary and a few keywords can get you. On the other hand I probably liked this movie much better than what I was expecting. It's quite a well done murder mystery with plenty of twists and turns.

The writing is top notch and very believable. It took a long time for the killer to be identified and it wasn't an obvious character. There were also things that did not happen that I was expecting. The relationships of those involved were also interwoven into the story and added to it rather than subtracting.

The direction and editing are quite well done and it moves along at a good pace. Some fast cuts but to good effect, making the pace frantic at times. The cinematography and lighting are excellent. Conveyed chaos without making me get motion sickness.

The acting was very good. No real standout performances for me but that's fine. They were all believable in the parts that they played and there wasn't anyone who did poorly and detracted from the whole.

Conclusion: There is some very strong content, especially at the beginning, that more sensitive viewers may wish to avoid. It is also very much not suitable for younger viewers. That said it is a good movie that is well worth watching.