The Dogs of Riga (16 Sep. 2012)

The discovery of two slain youths in a dinghy which washes into Ystad brings hard-drinking Latvian detective Karlis Liepa from Riga. He tells Wallander they were his informants in a ... See full summary »

Director:

Esther Campbell

Writers:

Peter Harness, Henning Mankell (novel)

Stars:

Ciarán Owens, Jim Bywater, Kenneth Branagh

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Ciarán Owens	...	Erik Jacobsen
Jim Bywater	...	Jan Holmgren
Kenneth Branagh	...	Kurt Wallander
Sarah Smart	...	Anne-Britt Hoglund
Richard McCabe	...	Nyberg
Barnaby Kay	...	Lennart Mattson
Mark Hadfield	...	Stefan Lindeman
Søren Malling	...	Karlis Liepa
Rebekah Staton	...	Kristina Albinsson
Radoslaw Kaim	...	Zids
Ingeborga Dapkunaite	...	Baiba Liepa
Arturs Skrastins	...	Putnis
Zoltan Butuc	...	Murnieks
Arvydas Dapsys	...	Bekalov
Anamaria Marinca	...	Inese

Storyline

The discovery of two slain youths in a dinghy which washes into Ystad brings hard-drinking Latvian detective Karlis Liepa from Riga. He tells Wallander they were his informants in a drug-smuggling ring after the dinghy,containing cocaine,is stolen. Liepa is murdered on his return home,Wallander travelling to Riga to learn that the secretive detective did not show his case notes to his colleagues.After Wallander has discovered that his hotel room is bugged and he is being shadowed journalist Sergei Upitis tells him that Liepa was investigating corruption in his own force but Upitis is framed for Liepa's murder and found hanged in his cell,the Riga police then closing the case. However,Wallander,working with Liepa's widow Baiba and her cousin Inese,locate the missing case notes to unmask the traitor in the Latvian force.

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Genres:

Crime | Thriller

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Details

Release Date:

16 September 2012 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Riga, Latvia

Company Credits

User Reviews

Branagh as Wallander confronts police corruption and gang brutality in Riga

"Dogs of Riga" has a big dose of intrigue all the way through. It has a new love interest for Kurt, police corruption, and an uphill battle in Riga, where Kurt's resources are limited and he doesn't know whom to trust. The scenery is attractive and novel and the bad guys very tough. The music is suspenseful, although its repetition wears thin after awhile. Plot implausibilities creep in, but they are not so distracting as to spoil the fun of being transported into Wallander's world.

Branagh is very, very good indeed in this role. His lines are underwritten, and he conveys his feelings remarkably well. The man can act. In the best tradition of movie heroes, leading men and detectives, he attracts the viewer and carries the show. The Branagh Wallander stories make very good entertainment.

This one begins with intrigue when fishermen discover an inflatable raft at sea with two dead men in it. The raft washes up in Kurt's district. Shortly thereafter, when the two men are identified as Latvian, a Latvian undercover cop arrives. He doesn't reveal much, but Kurt wins his trust. He sends a fax to his headquarters. Subsequently, the raft is robbed of concealed drugs, so there must be a leak somewhere. What's worse is that the Latvian cop is tortured and executed when he returns to Riga, as were the two men on the raft.

Kurt flies to Riga to sort out this mess. This is a very hostile environment for him to operate in, making for a good story. Along the way he meets the widow of the slain cop. She's played by Ingeborga Dapkunaite in a substantial role that she delivers on very well. Kurt and she hit it off -- after awhile.

The weakest part of the movie comes in the final third in a few of the action scenes. It seems to take great skill to write and then stage these kinds of scenes so as to make them plausible and fresh. Perhaps a greater running time is required. This is the reason why I haven't rated the movie higher, but overall it's an enjoyable ride.