Written by Caballero Oscuro
It’s surprising to find noted film actor/director Kenneth Branagh starring in a TV production, especially one that seems closer to CSI than Shakespeare, but Wallander is a suitable vehicle for his talents. For those unfamiliar with the property, the character of Kurt Wallander originated in a best-selling series of nine crime fiction novels by Swedish author Henning Mankell. All nine novels were subsequently made into films in Sweden, and in the past few years a new Swedish series based on original stories was also produced. Now the mighty BBC has joined in the fun with this latest production featuring a British cast playing the Swedish characters.
Wallander is a humorless, driven detective working in the sleepy town of Ystad in southern Sweden . He’s separated from his wife, distant from his father and daughter, and completely consumed by his work. Once he latches onto a case, he devotes every fiber of his being to its closure, leaving him frequently short on sleep, exercise, proper nutrition, and nurturing relationships. In short, he’s let himself go to seed and doesn’t seem to get any joy out of his life or career, but keeps doggedly plugging away anyway. Unfortunately for him, there’s no shortage of grisly murder cases in his idyllic town. Branagh nails the world-weary nature of the character, and while he’s not exactly a sympathetic character, he’s clearly a fully-developed and intriguing one.
Oddly, as mentioned before, this is a British production that passes itself off as a Swedish property. It’s disconcerting to hear these supposedly Swedish characters speak of being “knackered” and other similar Brit phrases while clearly existing in Sweden, making it seem like the series should have been transplanted to the UK. This is addressed in the bonus features where the producers point out that the setting of Ystad is so integral to the material that they couldn’t dream of setting it elsewhere.
Article comments
1 - El Bicho
I have these on DVD and have been meaning to check them out. Thanks for the reminder