Mastermind

When I watched this movie, I was not only shocked at how ridiculous it was. I was even more shocked that it sacrificed all the believability that usually makes these Swedish versions of the Wallander films so impressive, one of the best series of police procedurals I've ever seen (and I've seen too many to want to discuss it).

After the fact, I learned that this episode had been released first as a movie in theaters, and then things started to make more sense. The overblown absurd dramatics, plus what seemed a bigger budget for effects, look clearly like part of a misguided attempt to sell the series to a larger audience.

The movie is trying to have the visual impact of something like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and doesn't succeed.

The first film in this series, Before the Frost, was also released in theaters, and thankfully is much much better than Mastermind. And at least knowing that Mastermind was trying to be something other than a usual episode in this series helps me understand why it goes so wrong--and helps me be glad that other episodes in the series did not try to repeat the errors made here.

One of the best of the Swedish Wallander series. This was a really creepy episode, with lots of surprises. A scene near the ending reminded me a little of 'Silence of the Lambs' but otherwise if was original, and much more like a horror film than some of the others in the series. The basic premise of the plot - revenge - is a very common one for Henning Mankell, but it's the characterisation and acting that are both so strong. I thought Martinnson really came alive as a character in this, with convincing vulnerability. It is so sad that the actress who plays Linda Wallander came to such a tragic ending - she gives a superb performance in this. And Krister Henrikson's Wallander is starting to become the definitive one for me - even over Kenneth Branagh.

In the beginning when I first saw "Innan frosten" I was very against these movies. Thought they would be to freaky for me because I get easily scared watching horror movies. But I got surprised and found myself like these movies. I think this movie was the most exciting movie of the ones that had been maid. You're so in the movie and you get so frustrated on the police because they don't know who the murderer is but you do. But in the beginning you don't have a clue about what has happened and what the connection are until they reveal it in the movie. It's psychological and you think the murderer is such a freak. You don't like him and that the police doesn't get a clue either. He is totally playing with their minds and that makes this movie so good and different comparing to the others. My legs couldn't stop shaking in the cinema. You follow the movie with excitement and you just want to catch the murderer. If you have to see one of the Wallander movies, watch this.

The production quality of this movie is delightfully good to come from the Nordic countries, but the plot.. oh the plot! It is just not believable at all.

If you don't mind guessing all the time what happens and grinding your teeth because you think "even the Swedish police are not that stupid" this movie is good for you. If you don't mind repeated, very-convenient-for-the-bad-guy twists of fate, this movie is good for you. Your call.

Acting on the other hand was good, I guess - I didn't pay attention to it, and isn't that at least one sign of good acting?

Thank God that I've seen this episode, otherwise I would spend all my life in ignorance, not knowing that Yugoslavian language was spoken in Yugoslavia and that we were overflown with Lothars, Paulinas and Kraftzcyks :D OK, it's just a TV show, it's not a lesson in general knowledge, but I'm sick and tired of all those mistakes considering former Yugoslav countries and now favorite villains - Serbs most of the time, and some Croat now and then. Please, before centering an episode or a whole movie around character from former Yugoslav countries, just google a bit. There were few "Paulina" (extremely rare name here, it's Polish in fact) but only Lothar was Matthaus while he was coaching our football team, and none of the Kraftzcyks (if this surname exists at all, even in Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia)