Les Enquêtes du Département V : Délivrance

La première moitié routinière et prévisible se transforme à la vitesse d'un train en une seconde moitié dure, tendue et sombre. Et cela satisfait abondamment. Le méchant, respectable, est un peu plus faible qu'Edward Norton, mais il n'atteint pas le niveau du duo antagoniste du deuxième volet. La complexité du numéro deux (Tueurs) n'est pas atteinte par le numéro trois, restant légèrement au-dessus du numéro un (La femme en cage), en tant qu'artisanat de genre très bon. (27/06/2016)

I intentionally watch the movie adaptations of Jussie Adler-Olsen’s novels on TV. There are so many Scandinavian crime movies that it is quite nice to make things easier with some movie series. And with this one, I always had to get used to the main characters in the beginning, so that I could really enjoy the story afterward. But here, it is a little more complicated. Here, Carl Mørck actually looks as if he had a pineapple up his ass during the whole movie and he drops a solid piece of wisdom at the end of the whole film. Assad at least expresses a few emotions and his character salvages a lot. Fortunately, the movie has a very decent atmosphere and an absolutely ultimate psychopath in the form of Pål Sverre Hagen so you can be sure that each of you will find certain moments interesting. But overall, I was disappointed. I put the movie on about 5 times and I truly finished it only on my 5th try. I don’t know a beginning of a Scandinavian crime movie more lukewarm than this one. (27/07/2017)

Moland finally directed a film out of it and not an expensive pilot of a series. Black humor was added, which it lacked a lot. Unfortunately, in an attempt to remove a rather procedural model of twists and conflicts, he turned the second half of the film into a slightly absurd and illogical spectacle. The discomfort is further enhanced by the performance of Pål Sverre Hagen, whose monster is a rather awkward mixture of pederast and the square root of Javier Bardem. (02/06/2016)

A Conspiracy of Faith is a film of two completely different parts. I don't know if they are equally long, because subjectively the exposition of the story seemed too slow and about as exciting and captivating as a Christian documentary. The movie theater screen should help the film, but somehow I hesitated and thought that a television screen would be more than enough for this. But then came the scene where the ransom for the kidnapped siblings is supposed to be handed over on the train, and suddenly it looks as if a cyclist staggering somewhere at the tail end of the peloton realizes that he doesn't want to stay last and gives it his all. The dynamics change incredibly and suddenly you understand what the magic and global success of Scandinavian crime is all about. You have a jam-packed spectacle that does not spare any blood or shocking twists, and it engulfs you completely. But when the end credits start, you begin to think and certain doubts arise about the errors in logic that you didn't notice before. It's somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, but in the case of such highly-rated films, I usually choose a lower rating. The acting is decent and the subject matter is also unconventional, but the mistakes are simply noticeable. Overall impression: 65%. (05/07/2016)

Délivrance est, jusqu’à présent, le plus réussi des tomes de la série littéraire Les Enquêtes du département V. En effet, il était impossible de me détourner du livre, dont je survolais véritablement les lignes. En tant que fan de littérature et de cinéma, je me suis bien rendu compte de la difficulté d’adapter ce troisième tome au grand écran. Et mes craintes se sont matérialisées : j’avais l’impression de suivre une histoire complètement différente ou alors que les cinéastes avaient pris des passages potentiellement palpitants pour les assembler ensuite en un film. Et le résultat est une pure catastrophe ! Je mets quand même une étoile pour l’effort d’avoir tenté une adaptation d’un livre qui était inadaptable. Cela dit, on aurait pu faire mieux. Je suis d’ailleurs convaincu que Dossier 64 sera de la bombe, parce que celui-là est taillé pour une adaptation ; j’imagine déjà le déroulement de l’histoire sur deux plans temporels… (14/08/2016)

The third installment of Olsen’s series has the best film adaptation so far. I tried to watch the film as if I hadn't read the book. I enjoyed a quality crime thriller set in a community of religious fanatics with a grim atmosphere and a convincing villain. Nikolaj Lie Kaas as Detective Morck was absolutely brilliant. His rendition of a man whose life treats him like shit every single day was simply perfect. Even though I knew how the film was going to end from the book, I got a proper dose of suspense. I'm looking forward to Journal 64. (22/08/2016)

Nikolaj Lie Kaas was a truly excellent choice for the main role because his grim face and minimalism go well with a character that you're not sure whether is brilliant or simply unsure. There are certain inconsistencies or rather unnecessary elements in the film, which were taken from the book to avoid further trimming - for example, the "mistress" of the killer doesn't have much justification in the film. Nevertheless, it is still an excellent thriller that will send chills down your spine. (03/06/2016)