IMDb > Forbrydelsens element (1984)
Forbrydelsens element
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Forbrydelsens element (1984) More at IMDbPro »


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Overview

User Rating:
6.7/10   3,202 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 5% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Niels Vørsel (writer) &
William Quarshie (dialogue translation) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for The Element of Crime on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
14 May 1984 (Denmark) more
Genre:
Plot:
A cop in a dystopian Europe investigates a serial killings suspect using controversial methods written by his now disgraced former mentor. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
11 wins & 3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Sound On Sight Radio #161 - The Antichrist (Spoiler Edition)
 (From SoundOnSight. 13 October 2009, 4:07 PM, PDT)

IFC/Criterion DVD Wish List
 (From Filmmaker Magazine. 1 September 2009, 8:53 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
pure genius more (32 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Michael Elphick ... Fisher
Esmond Knight ... Osborne
Me Me Lai ... Kim (as Meme Lai)
Jerold Wells ... Kramer
Ahmed El Shenawi ... Therapist
Astrid Henning-Jensen ... House Keeper
János Herskó ... Coroner (as Janos Hersko)
Stig Larsson ... Coroner's Assistant
Harry Harper ... Portier 1
Roman Moszkowicz ... Portier 2

Lars von Trier ... Schmuck of Ages (as Lars Von Trier)
Frederik Casby ... White Policeman
Duke Addabayo ... Black Policeman
Jon Bang Carlsen ... Angry Policeman (as Jon Bang-Carlsen)
Leif Magnusson ... Hotel Guest
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Element of Crime (UK) (USA)
The Last Tourist in Europe (Denmark) (working title)
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Runtime:
104 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The first film in Lars von Trier's 'Europa' trilogy which illuminates the traumas of Europe in the future. The two other parts are Epidemic (1987) and Europa (1991). more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Therapist: [to Fisher] Fantasy is OK, but my job to keep you on the right track. We are after the facts. You seem to return to Cairo and me whenever you have a problem. Two months ago you left Cairo, your wife, everything for a police job in Europe. Now you are back haunted by headaches. If you want me to help you get rid of these headaches, we must go back two months in the time. Back to where it all started. All I know... Europe has become an obsession for you.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Anecdotes from 'Europa' (2005) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Der Letzte Tourist in Europa more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
19 out of 23 people found the following comment useful.
pure genius, 16 September 2001
10/10
Author: Venda Ballard from South Carolina, USA

The day after I saw this film for the first time, I had to sit down and watch it again. Not because I thought I'd missed something, but because the story and visuals are so compelling that it's the kind of film you're drawn to watch again and again.

Lars Von Trier has created a world of darkness - both literal and figurative. I can't recall a single scene in this film that takes place in broad daylight. The characters move through a surreal night-time world, where everything seems to be touched by corruption and decay. The places they inhabit - a leaky basement, a dirty hotel, the shell of a broken-down bus - all contribute to the overall sense of squalor and disease that overcomes the viewer.

The story essentially follows a man as he follows the trail of a serial killer. As the plot unfolds, there are hints of some kind of surreal (almost supernatural) cycle or pattern into which the detective has fallen. As the film builds to a climax, the viewer's feelings of uneasiness grow along with a sick kind of fascination when the realization of what is happening takes hold.

This film, with its mixture of dreamlike visuals and a nightmarish story, is one of the best foreign-language films I have ever had the privilege of seeing. I would highly recommend it to fans of David Lynch, Jeunet & Caro, Soderbergh's "Kafka," or as a good introduction to Von Trier.

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