The Third Wave (2003)
"Den tredje vågen" (original title)

Johan Falk hasn't been working for over a year since he resigned from the police. Most of all he wants to move out to the countryside, but fate has a different thought.

Director:

Anders Nilsson

Writers:

Joakim Hansson, Anders Nilsson

Stars:

Jakob Eklund, Irina Björklund, Nicholas Farrell

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jakob Eklund	...	Johan Falk
Irina Björklund	...	Rebecca
Nicholas Farrell	...	Devlin
Ben Pullen	...	Kane
Marie Richardson	...	Helén
Sylvester Groth	...	Dauphin
Lennart Hjulström	...	Sellberg
John Benfield	...	Stevens
Robert Giggenbach	...	Sorensen
Pierre Deny	...	Leblanc
Emmanuel Limal	...	Rocca
Hanna Alsterlund	...	Nina
Jacqueline Ramel	...	Anja (as Jaqueline Ramel)
Joram Voelklein	...	Van Nuys
Joep Sertons	...	Van Effen

Storyline

In The Hague, Holland, the new chief of Europol Sellberg broadcasts a tough speech against the third wave of crimes in Europe, promising to suffocate the schemes of powerful criminals. He invites his former detective and friend Johan Falk for a meeting, with the intention to join him to his team. Meanwhile, the executive Rebecca accidentally opens one correspondence of her mate, Kane, and finds that he launders illegal money for European mobsters. When she decides to disclose her discoveries to Europol, her life is jeopardized by the associates of her boy-friend, but Rebecca is rescued by Johan, and they have to fight against the organized crime to save their lives and Johan's family.

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Plot Keywords:

organized crime | demonstration | riot | murder | bank | 

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Taglines:

En hel kontinent håller på att stjälas. An entire continent is being stolen

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Details

Country:

Sweden Finland

Language:

Swedish English German French Dutch

Release Date:

15 October 2003 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

The Third Wave

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

SEK 34,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blind Spot Pictures Oy, Film i Väst, Sonet Film AB

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Several entire blocks were constructed in Trollhättan to simulate locations of Munich and the Hague.

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Goofs

When Rebecca is sitting on the ferry to Hoek van Holland, the green screen used for the window is reflected in the shiny table.

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Quotes

Bodice: [Radio] We need a fucking hospital here!
Devlin: [Radio] Roger. And can we please use the proper procedure of language, over.
Bodice: [Radio] Fucking roger, out!

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Crazy Credits

"Dock INGET TACK till polisledningen i Göteborg som för tredje gången vägrat lyfta ett finger för att hjälpa oss. Tur att polishuset i Göteborg i övrigt är fyllt med samarbetsvilliga poliser..." Which translates roughly to: "But NO THANKS go to the police-management in Göteborg as they, for the third time, have been unwilling to lift a finger to help us. Lucky for us the police-houses of Göteborg are filled with cooperative officers..."

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Connections

Followed by Johan Falk: Alla råns moder (2012)

User Reviews

A great movie

I've just seen this movie tonight on Melbourne's SBS TV channel and had to see what others had thought of it (a pity the professional reviews are all in languages other than English). No matter. While it took a while for the plot to get going, I was engrossed from the beginning. It's great to see non-Hollywood actors (who can also act) in a good movie. For me, seeing unfamiliar faces in a thriller/drama adds to its impact, which doesn't often happen when I see so-called Hollywood "stars" who just can't forget their "star" quality... (eg Cage, Cruise).

Some of the events in The Third Wave relied a little too much on coincidence to be believable, especially toward the end. And the Munich riots in the last section were rather "over the top" (I thought I was watching 28 Days Later at one point) - it was reassuring to read others' comments that such wild behaviour wasn't typical of protests in Munich.

Nevertheless I was totally involved - I initially didn't have a clue who was to be trusted (thanks to a good script) - and the film's overall quality warranted my forgiving its unlikely coincidences.