Wallander: Enquêtes criminelles

I've seen both recent episodes on the BBC4 channel, and think the show is simply excellent. The gritty style of Kurt Wallander, played superbly by Krister Henriksson, along with some very skilled direction and scriptwriting, make this a gripping detective series. It's not for the faint-hearted either as some scenes are very graphic. The nasty stuff genuinely sends chills down your spine, something very difficult to achieve. While the general character of the Swedes is one of reserve and ice, the scenes of violence and gore differentiates this from the normal stereotype. The cinematography is excellent, and it is a show I would recommend to many Film Studies students.

The supporting cast is the one possible weakness in this show, and more could be done to bring them into it more. Otherwise a very good show. BBC have unearthed a winning detective series

It's as if Krister Henriksson has just stepped off the page of one of Henning Mankell's books and transferred to the screen with his portrayal of the Swedish detective. Everything about this tv series is just right. The best of all the scandi noir crime dramas.

A beautiful small town full of psychopathic mass killers, brought to justice by a grumpy middle aged detective - no, it's not 'Inspector Morse', but 'Wallender', the British programme's Swedish equivalent. And whereas in every Morse story, the lead detective fell for a woman who turned out to be involved in the murders, here (on the evidence of the two stories recently shown on British television) every murder in some way involves Wallender's daughter. The plotting may be overblown, but the tone of these adaptations is procedural, and the characters generally show the famed Scandinavian sense of reserve; this makes Wallender appear less obviously interesting than Morse, but with skilled direction, the nasty stuff appears genuinely creepy. It's the chilling sense of atmosphere that makes the program a winner, in my book, rather than the stories; so it will be interesting to see how the recent BBC adaptation of the same novels compares.

First of all, greetings from Finland, Kurt Wallander! I usually do not watch a lot film series, but this is just so much different. Better. Much better than ANY other detective series out there. Right now one of our TV-channels are presenting a Wallander movie on Saturdays every week! I'm always eagerly waiting another one and it's easily a highlight of my whole week/weekend at the moment!

Krtister Henriksson is the main reason. Absolutely fantastic actor. He really may be the most memorable and impressive character which I've ever seen. He's calm and clever. I have always good feeling when I watch him playing the role of Kurt Wallander. It's.. Almost like a magic.

Of course the script and screenplay is also very important factor in detective stories. Of course there's couple things here and there which are just slightly impractical or clichés but that actually hasn't never bothered me.

Conclusion; After every movie, I'm happy. And when Wallander usually just walks away at the end of the movie and music starts playing, I feel great, I smile and get shivers. What could be better feeling after watching a movie?

I'm absolutely loving these movies. Krister Henriksson, thank you for being Kurt Wallander for all these years. Golden times that we will never forget.

The following refers to the 13 episodes of Season 2.

It sometimes seems as though the world is divided into two groups: those for whom subtitles pose no problem, and those for whom they do. If you fall in the former group, and you enjoy police-procedural dramas, then this series is for you. If you fall in the latter group, or if your comfort level plummets when you venture beyond BBC productions, then try the series with Kenneth Branagh and a supporting cast of English-speaking actors pretending to be Swedes - it's not as good, but it is in English.

I am a big fan of British police-procedural/detective series, and it was only because I was having trouble finding ones I had not seen that I turned to the Swedish-language "Wallander" series with Krister Henriksson in the lead role. I was impressed: it holds its own against the better British series.

Which actor you consider the definitive Kurt Wallander may depend on which version of the series you see first (assuming you see more than one). As much as I like Branagh and admire his work, he runs second to Henriksson in the Wallander Stakes. Indeed, the character of Wallander is not the same in the two series. The focus is much more on Wallander in the British series - a choice perhaps necessary to attract Branagh to the role - and he is portrayed as something of a loner, while in the Swedish version the members of Wallander's squad get significant screen time, and Wallander is portrayed more as an intelligent man with good instincts who is effective as a detective, a leader and a mentor. Branagh's Wallander is a man grappling with emotional issues, while Henriksson's comes across as reflective and world- weary but a man largely at peace with himself. I have not read the books on which the series is based, so I do not know which portrayal is truer to Mankell's character, but I do know I'd rather spend time with Henriksson's Wallander than with Branagh's.

The supporting cast is excellent, and, as indicated above, we are allowed to get to know their characters. The plots of the episodes held my attention, production values are high, and the locations and Swedish-speaking cast added to the verisimilitude. I especially liked how the relationship between Wallander and the prosecutor (an attractive divorcée who is also his neighbor) was handled. They are two adults of middle-age who develop feelings of mutual respect and affection (though they occasionally butt heads on the job), but their attraction is tempered by the baggage each carries from previous relationships. Their mating dance is cautious and restrained - very Scandinavian, one could say - and strikes just the right notes.