Gripping ‘Wallander: The Revenge’ Shames Most American Thrillers

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CHICAGO – Why can’t American studios make thrillers like “Wallander: The Revenge”? As a matter of fact, why can’t we make ones like the recent production of “Sherlock” or even “Luther”? Perhaps it’s something about producing for TV that gives people more creative depth but the best thrillers so far this year have been the three episodes of “Sherlock” and this week’s release of “Wallander: The Revenge,” opening at Music Box today and available next week in a massive DVD box set.

“Wallander: The Revenge” is actually the season premiere of the second series of TV episodes that aired on Swedish television in 2009. While you may be tempted to avoid something produced for TV, “The Revenge” has theatrical caliber production values and performances. If you didn’t know, you’d never guess that it wasn’t made with a theatrical release in mind from the very beginning. This season premiere is also included in a DVD box set from Music Box Films along with 12 more 90-minute films that will be released on Tuesday.

Wallander: The Revenge
Wallander: The Revenge
Photo credit: Music Box Films

What separates “The Revenge” is simple and what’s so often missing from American thrillers — respect for the intelligence of its audience. This is complex stuff, not purely on a procedural level but on a thematic one. It’s a very daring script in the way it tackles not just the fear of terrorism but how people use that fear to their advantage and what a general atmosphere of instability can do to people. There’s no wacky asides or ill-conceived action pieces. Everything feels focused and driven, much like the film’s incredibly smart but haggard title character.

Kurt Wallander is a legendary character everywhere but the U.S. He was the central figure in dozens of crime novels, this Swedish TV series, and even a British adaptation in which Kenneth Branagh played the role (which is also well-worth-seeing). Knowing that “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” has revved up interest in Swedish culture, Music Box Films bought the rights to this version of Wallander and are giving the season premiere a limited theatrical release while the rest of the season two series will be available on iTunes today and on DVD on Tuesday.

Wallander: The Revenge
Wallander: The Revenge
Photo credit: Music Box Films

One of three men to play Wallander, Krister Henriksson has an agreeable world weariness that’s not overplayed. “The Revenge” opens with him getting drunk with friends as he celebrates buying a peaceful home on the water. The peace is shattered when a substation is blown up, cutting the power to the entire small town. During the blackout, an important figure is brutally gunned down. Were the two related? When car bombs go off the next day and another person is shot in her own home, the plot thickens noticeably. Who is the terrorist (or terrorists) behind this act? And how can you stop them when things are so unstable?

Political acts of violence often sprout from very personal reasons. I will not spoil anything about “The Revenge” but the overall piece is very thematically rewarding when one sits back and thinks about it. But “The Revenge” is not purely theme and dialogue. There are moments of incredibly high tension, the kind that often fall flat in American films. Ultimately, there’s so little fat here (maybe because they had to meet a TV running time). It’s a streamlined, intelligent thriller. And you don’t see those too often any more.

“Wallander: The Revenge” stars Krister Henriksson, Lena Endre, Sverrir Gudnason, and Jens Hulten. It was released at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago on May 25, 2012 and is also available with the other 12 episodes on DVD on Tuesday, May 29, 2012.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Jean McEvoy's picture

Wallander

We have already seen this 2nd series in UK and completely agree with all your comments. The series has no beautifully lit, surgically enhanced actors who have to be shot from the `right side’ but actors who immerse themselves in the characters with more concern for the story and technicians who have more interest in related a gripping story than the highly paid people we are more used to in USA and UK.

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