Pyramiden

Henning Mankell's 'Wallander' detective stories have been variously brought to the screen. In some respects, they feel like a Swedish version of 'Inspector Morse': a morose middle-aged detective, with a fondness for alcohol and never-to-be-fulfilled romance with younger women, solves preposterous plots in a pretty town bizarrely afflicted by murders. If one can see past the genre, this sort of stuff can be quite entertaining, but I didn't feel much of the two previous (actually made later) versions of Wallander I'd seen: in the Swedish television series, every plot seemed to end with the life of Wallander's daughter under threat; in the British television version, Kenneth Branagh played a man so washed out you could barely see him against the background. The Swedish films starring Rolf Lassgard, however, are much better. Lassgard brings the character believably and vibrantly to life, even if some of the plots are still frankly silly (this one, for example, features bombs detonated by pulse-meters). It's not 'The Killing', by any means; but by far the best of the Wallander adaptations.

Of the three ''Wallander'' productions, the two are Swedish and the other British with Kenneth Branagh, this is by far the best as Rolf Lassgård proves that he is one of the top Nordic actors and deserves absolute respect from the audience. His performance as Inspector Kurt Wallander of Ystad police force is magnificent and way better than the other two (Branagh and Henriksson) in the later editions. This is the first, chronologically, attempt to adapt Henning Mankell's most eminent creation, the solemn and melancholic Kurt Wallander who became one of the most beloved characters in contemporary European crime fiction. Furthermore Marie Richardson (''Innan vi dör'') is terrific in her portrayal of Wallander's sidekick, Maja. The scriptwriters remained as faithful as possible both to the plotline and the characterization and each episode of the series is actually a tv-movie, lasting approximately 90 minutes. For those who are not familiar with the character and Mankell's work in general, this series can introduce him to the fictional world of the ''Wallander'' saga. Those who weren't satisfied with the other two editions, should check out this one and maybe they will find what they are searching: a decent adaptation of the books with some great performances by seasoned Swedish actors.