Departamento Q: O Ausente

Police Detective Carl Mørck (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) stumbles upon an old man nearby the Police Department Building and he asks if Carl had checked the documentation he sent to him. Carl does not give much attention to the man and two hours later the man is found dead after committing suicide in his bathtub. Carl convinces his partner Assad Pilou (Fares Fares) to reopen an old case where the twins of the old man had been murdered and soon Carl and Assad are involved in a network of old crimes where the powerful executives and millionaires Ditlev Pram (Pilou Asbæk) and his friend Ulrik Dybbøl (David Dencik) seem to be responsible for. Now they are chasing Ditlev´s former girlfriend Kimmie (Danica Curcic), who might be the key witness of the cases. But the criminals are hunting her down.

"Fasandræberne", a.k.a. "Department Q: The Absent One". Is another great franchise with a new case of Police Detectives Carl Mørck and Assad Pilou. The structure of the bleak story is similar to the first film with the use of flashbacks. The performances are top-notch again and the screenplay does not use the clichés of a crime film. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Departamento Q: O Ausente" ("Department Q: The Absent One")

Note: On 17 July 2021, I saw this film again.

Everything I said in my review of the first film in the series (Keeper of the Lost Causes) applies to this, the second installment. Gritty, dark and disturbing. It is textured and believable with an intense verisimilitude as to not only the environment and behavior of the police but throughout the social strata where the other characters dwell. And, as in the earlier film, this one is as commendable for the attention to fleshing out the damaged creatures committing unspeakable acts as it is to developing the mechanics of the plot, the social themes underlying the series, and the growth (or collapse) of the lead players. And I cannot sing the praises high enough for a thriller, so realistic, that a main character gets struck in the head with a pipe, and rather that soldiering on like a superhero he falls, and then later collapses with a concussion. This series is about human beings; the weak and the strong, the good and the bad, and such simplistic terms like Hero and Evil Villain are neither welcomed nor adhered to.

Straight off the bat, one of thing that I love about this film, is that it's as much of a stand alone movie as the sequel to The Keeper of Lost Causes / Mercy. The two films are connected but they're about two completely separate cases on which only the investigating team remains. It's kind of like what a TV-Show like Sherlock, for example, if Sherlock was a graphic dark thriller.

Much like the first one, Detective Mørck & Assad are the heart of the movie. It's an odd pairing but they're somehow captivating, they keep you focused in the movie despite the less than original plot on this one. You probably already figured out what it's all about by reading the premise but the story works and It has to do with the investigating team. You get attached to them - more so if you've seen the first film - and you want to see this case through.

The sequel to The Keeper of Lost Causes / Mercy is a good film, with a predictable story, but it's intriguing, attention-grabbing, and so uninhibited that this classical, run of the mill, thriller feels very fresh. @wornoutspines

Saw this recently on a rented DVD. This is the follow up to the Keeper of lost causes. In this film, both Nikolaj n Fares need to solve another case because some time has passed since the success of their first case and their reputation is going down. A bereaved ex-cop appeals to Nicolaj to solve the murder of his two children. The ex cop kills himself after being refused. Feeling guilty, our two cops begin looking into the case, with all leads initially pointing towards an elite boarding school. Their search for the truth takes them in some unexpected places n a bandaged nose. Nicolaj after being attacked, gets a bandaged nose, a nod to Jack Nicholson's character from Chinatown. The plot may not be new or there may not be enuff mystery but the movie was captivating to hold your interest till the end. It's much more darker, obscene and gruesome than its predecessor. Its more of a crime tale n less of a mystery. Found it to be a lil disappointing because its not in the same league as its predecessor specially when it comes to suspense n tension. This film has lots flashbacks like the first one. Nonetheless it got saved by strong performances by all. Fares gave a very good performance n Nikolaj too gave a nice performance. A decent police procedural crime tale.

So when I saw the Keeper of Lost Causes, I was very impressed by what a griping Crime Drama it was and when I discovered it was the first in a trilogy, I had to see the others.

The Absent One is the second in the trilogy. Some time after Carl and his partner, Assad made Department Q a name for their first case, they quickly became a joke again due to Carl's focus on solving the cold cases rather than just organizing the place met they have not closed another cold case since. Then a retired sheriff begs Carl to look into the cold case involving the murder of his two children which someone took the blame for. This lead Carl to uncover the dangerous vices of the privilege of high society.

It's as gritty as the first movie, with a case that has slightly more depth and angles to it. This allows us to see the warm heart of Carl without melting the ice, as he gives his all to make right what once went wrong. The detective himself becomes more well rounded with just enough peaks into his personal life (a bonding relationship he has with his ex-wife's son, who he obviously sees as his flesh and blood), to make him human. The movie also introduces a new team member, Rose, the last of a long list of secretaries who don't work well with Carl, but luckily Assad likes her.

This is becoming a fabulous police drama franchise and I can't wait to complete the trilogy.