This has Oslo detectives Jonas Engström and Erik Vik dispatched to a Norwegian city (above the arctic circle) to help solve the brutal murder of a young woman. Engström and Vik are tasked to work with Ane, a local detective.
Engström's character is fleshed out more thoroughly than in a typical police procedural. The story is presented in a manner to keep your attention--in fact it requires close attention. However, it is the study of Engström's personality that I found most interesting. Significant insights are given into the qualities that drive him: guilt, sexual repression, ego, and anxiety.
In pursuit of the murderer in a heavy fog, Engström shoots and kills Vik. Was this an accidental shooting? It is hinted that Engström might have known who he was shooting (a flashback shows that he had enough time to recognize Vik). In any case, for reasons of guilt or ego Engström tries to cover up his action by claiming it was the murderer who killed Vik. Complications ensue when Ane starts to smell a fish when investigating Engström's story of the shooting. I liked the concept of the investigator being investigated.
In several revealing scenes we get clues to Engström's repressed sexuality. There is a scene in a car where he makes an advance on a suspect's girlfriend and a scene where he makes a move on the hotel clerk and is rebuffed. More telling is a scene where he is hidden behind a door while a suspect and a woman go at it close by. In this scene we see that Engström is turned on while trying not to be. The music in that scene makes for an intense experience.
I thought all of the actors were well cast and the restrained performances added to a sense of reality.
I had seen the 2002 remake of this before having seen this version. In reading through several of the reviews of the 2002 version I saw that many people commented that this original version was better. Having liked the 2002 version made me want to see this. I agree that this version is better, but not dramatically so. The 2002 version is not a direct remake, but is different enough to be a separate movie. It is interesting to see how the same material can be tweaked to create a different experience. For example, in the 2002 version the relationship between the local detective and the main character is given more emphasis. This version is more subdued and hangs together better--there are no superfluous action scenes. One great advantage this version has is that it does not have the ridiculous shoot-'em-up ending. One of the final scenes that has Ane placing a bullet casing on a table is a testament to the tight presentation. That single act says as much as what it might have taken several scenes to accomplish.
Engström's character is fleshed out more thoroughly than in a typical police procedural. The story is presented in a manner to keep your attention--in fact it requires close attention. However, it is the study of Engström's personality that I found most interesting. Significant insights are given into the qualities that drive him: guilt, sexual repression, ego, and anxiety.
In pursuit of the murderer in a heavy fog, Engström shoots and kills Vik. Was this an accidental shooting? It is hinted that Engström might have known who he was shooting (a flashback shows that he had enough time to recognize Vik). In any case, for reasons of guilt or ego Engström tries to cover up his action by claiming it was the murderer who killed Vik. Complications ensue when Ane starts to smell a fish when investigating Engström's story of the shooting. I liked the concept of the investigator being investigated.
In several revealing scenes we get clues to Engström's repressed sexuality. There is a scene in a car where he makes an advance on a suspect's girlfriend and a scene where he makes a move on the hotel clerk and is rebuffed. More telling is a scene where he is hidden behind a door while a suspect and a woman go at it close by. In this scene we see that Engström is turned on while trying not to be. The music in that scene makes for an intense experience.
I thought all of the actors were well cast and the restrained performances added to a sense of reality.
I had seen the 2002 remake of this before having seen this version. In reading through several of the reviews of the 2002 version I saw that many people commented that this original version was better. Having liked the 2002 version made me want to see this. I agree that this version is better, but not dramatically so. The 2002 version is not a direct remake, but is different enough to be a separate movie. It is interesting to see how the same material can be tweaked to create a different experience. For example, in the 2002 version the relationship between the local detective and the main character is given more emphasis. This version is more subdued and hangs together better--there are no superfluous action scenes. One great advantage this version has is that it does not have the ridiculous shoot-'em-up ending. One of the final scenes that has Ane placing a bullet casing on a table is a testament to the tight presentation. That single act says as much as what it might have taken several scenes to accomplish.