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Ken Branagh has been around for so long one is surprised to see him still playing a semi- romantic role. Then it is remembered how very young he was when he burst into prominence with his **Henry V**--a role he now owns after appropriating it from no less a figure than Olivier.Sweden remains a quite sparsely populated country with a good deal of open space. This is excellently exploited in this three-part series set in the province of Skane in the southwest of Sweden. Some of the cinematography is Bergmanesque, capturing the bleak beauty of the region.As a provincial detective with personal issues, Branagh captures the Scandinavian melancholy like a junior Max von Sydow--lengthy silences, expressions full of pain suffusing his baby face. Like any Shakespearian, he's also got a great voice, full of subtleties and surprising power. The supporting roles are well played by a strong British cast.This middle program deals with a terrifying conspiracy of international proportions and with some of the travails of mundane life. Several absurd coincidences unfortunately hinder suspension of disbelief. There also is a surprising amount of violence, with several murders, a mutilation and much blood. Branagh's Det. Wallander carries a pistol--a powerful 9mm SIG-Sauer--but in truth he isn't much good at using it. In one scene he fires uselessly into a thick fog, trying to stop a fleeing automobile. This has to be against regulations.The action speeds up to a conclusion that mixes success and tragedy in nearly equal proportions.
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