Kvinden i buret

Scandinavian detective films is a sign of international quality, especially for those who think that stories can be catchy without constant chases-shootings and without a thin line between law machinery and criminals. Kvinden i buret is a nice and solid example such films, plus talented character actors in leading roles - a Dane Nikolaj Lie Kaas and an Assyrian from Sweden Fares Fares (by the way, speaking tolerable Danish). Multidimensional plot provides additional tensions and you start to ponder who and why, the outcome is logical, although the wrongdoer's person and motives were revealed a bit too early. The film includes several clichés as well (for example, injudicious boss vs. solitary pigheaded detective, bickers between partners), but they are not annoying, enabling to unfold the characters and justify certain deeds.

All in all, a nice film, and first in the line of films (to be) made on the basis of Jussi Adler-Olsen's novels. I am looking forward to see them all.

The latest in a long (endless?) line of fine Scandinavian police thrillers, The Keeper of Lost Causes (Kvinden I buret to give it its Danish title) is a taut, thrilling cop drama that compels and seizes the interest for the duration of its 97 minute running time.

In the aftermath of an ill-fated mission that leaves one colleague dead and another seriously injured, police inspector Carl Mørck (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) is bumped from his department and tasked with setting up Department Q, a dead-end desk job that requires him to spend the next few years ensconced in a dusty basement with a new partner, Assad (Fares Fares), tying up the loose ends on old cases. Instructed to close three cases per week, Mørck and Assad begin with the investigation of a politician, Merete Lynggaard (Sonja Richter) who disappeared five years previously. Written off as a suicide, Mørck is determined to prove there is more to the case and delves into a murky case of abuse, murder and kidnapping.

With both Kaas and Richter alumni of the original series of The Killing, and Fares a star of both Easy Money and Zero Dark Thirty, the central trio makes for a very solid human triptych, even if displayed as separate components (he wrote carefully, determined not to lead or hint or give anything away). The relationship between Mørck and Assad, particularly, is a sufficient variation of the 'cop buddies' partnership to make it feel new. Both policemen have their foibles, their differences and their similarities; Mørck is out of favour, Assad has been trusted with something vaguely resembling a promotion, Mørck is silent and brooding, Assad celebrates his new found 'freedom' with ear-bleeding music, Mørck is a battering ram, Assad invests time to achieve his results…

As an aside, The Keeper of Lost Causes succeeds magnificently in portraying a Muslim character in a positive light in a film that isn't about that issue. Assad could be anyone; he just happens to be a Muslim.

Though The Keeper of Lost Causes will invariably be compared to The Killing, it is closer in tone to the thoughtfulness of Wallander and the cynicism of French series Spiral and is spiced with the dark violence of Larsson's Millennium trilogy. There is humour within the gloomy folds of this thriller but it is cold and cynical as befits a yarn of kidnap and murder.

I saw much of the outcome in the first fifteen minutes of The Keeper of Lost Causes but it was a still an electrifying journey that has a great deal to celebrate, not least of all a sublime accident sequence. Think 'ballet with cars' and you're getting close.

Like all good thrillers, The Keeper of Lost Causes works on the terror factor that it could happen. We don't tend to believe in zombies and vampires, although I'm up for a short-term zombocalypse armed with a crossbow and a katana, but humans with a vindictive streak and a penchant for malevolent revenge? Yep, they're far too real to ignore.

The Keeper of Lost Causes is a rare treat for another reason: it clearly sets itself up for a sequel and director Mikkel Nørgaard has duly obliged with the second adaptation of author Juss Adler-Olsen's novels, The Absent One (Fasandræberne), released in Denmark this autumn.

Roll on the end of the summer!

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I saw this on a rented DVD in 2014. Felt like writing a review before i watch two of its sequels. The plot - After a raid gone wrong that resulted in the death of one of his team and the paralysis of another, a homicide cop Nikolaj Lie Kaas has been kicked to the basement aka Department Q to tie off five years of unresolved cases along with an inexperienced assistant called Faras Faras. They wind up pursuing the case of a high-ranking female politician, a supposed suicide whose body was never found. In short this is Scandinavian Noir. The acting of the two leading detectives is assured and the cinematography is compelling. It is a perfectly adequate crime thriller that will appeal to fans of this genre. The Keeper of Lost Causes is genuinely gripping, even though the direction is fairly standard and the main plot elements are predictable. Fans of The Treatment, Marshland, Memories of murder, Headhunters, Insomnia, True Detectives - S1 will definitely enjoy this.

If your a fan of Nordic noir like me then there is enough here in Department Q to keep you entertained for 90 minutes. Whilst I did find the plot far fetched and totally implausible. The fast paced script quality acting, and the usual dark moody cinematography the Danes do so well, made this an enjoyable watch and look forward to further installments.

I think it's fair to say that THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES is Denmark's answer to THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO; it has much in common with the look, style, and feel of the Steig Larsson adaptation, although the narrative is more simplistic and straightforward as befits a shorter film. Once again the story is a mix of crime grittiness, nasty unpleasantness, historical events impacting on the present, and some dogged detectives refusing to give up on a cold case.

The methods of the killer in this film are quite terrifying from a psychological perspective, adding a sheen of unique horror to the movie which comes as an unexpected surprise. Although the subject matter is depressing the film is never so, because the production values are excellent and the cinematography particularly strong. The main characters aren't particularly likable, they're too gruff for that, but they are realistic, which is what counts. Although I'm not a huge fan of Scandinavian crime stories, even I enjoyed this well-paced and engrossing tale.