Department Q: A Conspiracy of Faith

This is the best of the three films in my opinion, it is not darker as such, off course the fact that its about kids getting taken is just not very nice to think about, but the cases they are working on are dark and we are beginning to know the characters and their different persona's and they really capture many great aspects of the characters and their interaction with other people.

I haven't read any of the books, but based on my wife's explanation, this is also the best adaption of the books, they are still changing things and making it more viewer friendly, but that's how it is.

Serial killers are always strange and dark, but this one is very well portrayed by Pål Sverre Hagen, he really seems like this nice guy, good looking (a Norwegian Ryan Gosling), well spoken, calm and trustworthy. But deep down he is just a bad bad man, with a terrible past and a twisted mind.

Location, seating & time: Dagmar, Nordisk Film, Vesterbro, Denmark - Bio 2, row 6 seat 1 & 3 - 22.03.2016 at 16.30

It might seem that there is a decline in the movies, but this is still rock solid. I can only imagine that the book is even more than that. It has characters from the previous movies (and books of course) and has a case that is pretty strong. You don't have the urgent feeling and the playfulness it had in the previous movies. As dark as they got, you always had something light in them.

That's almost missing entirely here. There's still character moments, but strings and things are being said and left on the sideline without giving them a resolution. It's a shame, but the movie is packed so much, that some things have not the punch they deserved to have and should have had. Still the movie and especially the villain are great. And it's not so much about who it is, but why he is and where and how to find him ...

I saw Norwegian director Hans Petter Moland's recent film In Order of Disappearance (2014) a couple of years ago. I was very impressed with that Nordic noir which was both very humorous and inventive. A Conspiracy of Faith is another thriller but one with quite a differing approach. It dispenses with the comedy of the earlier film and instead goes for a pretty downbeat approach. Hardly surprising really when you consider that the story is about two cops investigating the case of two abducted children. This kind of material is always one that is going to be somewhat dark, another recent north European film The Treatment (2014) dealt with this subject in a very head on manner and consequently was very disturbing indeed in places. A Conspiracy of Faith only goes so far with its dark material and by the end of the film slightly dissipates its impact further by having its narrative go into more standard thriller territory. But despite that, this is still another compelling bit of Nordic noir.

There are strong acting performances throughout, with a return performance from Pål Sverre Hagen - so memorable as the hilarious vegan crime boss from In Order of Disappearance - as the cold hearted psychopath. The story has added interest in that it mixes in themes of religion, with the killer himself solely targeting children from deeply religious families, exploiting the fact that these people have more faith in God than in the police. So there are a few distinctive elements interwoven into what otherwise may have been a standard serial killer thriller. I would probably rate this as less interesting as the more ambitious In Order of Disappearance but it still remains yet another pretty impressive Scandinavian noir.

This is the third installment in the Department Q series. Saw this few days back on a DVD. It begins with a message in a bottle from disappeared children. The movie starts as a kidnapping drama n then turns into a serial killer thriller n later explores the importance of faith. Some may compare this to Prisoners, True Detectives S1 n Marshland. Nonetheless it is a very solid crime thriller. There is sufficient tension n good amount of atmosphere. The cinematography was gorgeous. This time the movie has some decent action sequences too. Trains, helicopters, car chase. Our two leading detectives, Nikolaj Lie Kaas n Fares Fares acted good. The guy who played the serial killer acted well. He is the creepiest and most effective villain of the Department Q films.

I had high expectations for this third film - would it be as good as the two previous films?

I am delighted that it is. But different than the other two films. This film has more dialog between the two main characters, about they're personal life and faith. It brings more depths to the characters, and it does not come in the way of the story-line.

As the previous films, this haunting crime-film is all about the darkest and most twisted evil people, and they're terrible actions towards innocent people. In this film it also deals with children, so it's very gripping. As a Norwegian Im delighted to see Norwegians actors in this film, they really brings life to the film, acting in a convincing way. It even has a Norwegian director. But this it danish crime at it's very very best.

Well, if you like dark tales, this one is for you. Hope they follow this up with more films.