O Homem de Maiorca

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.

Right at the start there is a really good robbery of a Post Office just being done by one man. Outside two cops are at a car park and having their eyes on a brothel but then there is a call at the Post Office and becomes a thrilling chase. It turns out there is nothing much to do with our story and it is can be much more confusing. In the car later on the cops of course are talking about food and they suggest that they might not have McDonald's but the Swedish snacks don't look too good. When they mention Travolta this was not they were talking about Tarantino this is about ten years earlier and his first famous films and his dancing. Here we are in Stockholm, it is not too pretty, but wet, cold and gritty, clearly not their best times. This is a new Radiance film and one another's of Bo Widerberg, Man on the Roof (1976) which I thought was better.

Director Widerberg could do very well in widely separate genres. He did a few crime stories on cinema, but never just for the 'who dunnit'. There had to be a burning social message, something rotting in the kingdom.

Here it sure is. The Leif GW Persson novel, on which the film is based, is about misuse of power, all the way up. The novel is actually loosely based on a political scandal in Sweden, which Persson was involved in revealing.

Widerberg's movie has got several qualities, way beyond that of creating a thrill. With a very firm grip, of the kind only somebody that skilled as a director can have, he tightens the suspense, intensifies the conflict, broadens the importance of what takes place, until the film becomes an unpleasant, but in its own way accurate, revelation about modern society. And it's a good thrill, too.

A trivia of interest to none but me, I guess, is that one of the locations is my apartment at that time.

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.

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.