Crimes of Passion: Roses, Kisses and Death (2013 TV Movie) User Reviews

Crimes of Passion - Roses, Kisses and Death

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 20 September 2014]

Once again what should be a pleasant event turns into a murder mystery; this time while Puck and Einar are visiting the country estate of Rodbergshyttan for Christer and Gabriella's engagement party. As the episode opens the family are discussing the mysterious disappearance of a beautiful local girl twenty years before… just as her skeletal remains are being unearthed on the estate. The next day Puck and Einar arrive and are introduced to the family. Not long afterwards Gabriella's grandfather is found dead: poisoned and he won't be the last to die. It isn't long before it becomes clear that the other people there have plenty of secrets and sexual tensions exist in all the marriages.

The way people die every time Puck and Einar visit it is amazing that they get invited anywhere! That said it is something that goes with the genre and if this series is anything it is a traditional murder mystery… we have the attractive country setting, a big house and a group of people with plenty of secrets. The story isn't the most original but it is entertaining and there are more than enough suspects to keep the viewer guessing right up until the final reveal… which I hadn't seen coming. There may be sexual tensions but it is discretely handled so there aren't any 'awkward moments' to offend those who don't like that sort of thing! Overall a solid story which fans of the genre should enjoy.

Socially Conscious Murder Mystery

[l_rawjalaurence · 7/10 · 4 October 2014]

ROSES, KISSES and DEATH differs from other entries in the CRIMES OF PASSION series, as it makes some trenchant points on class- differences in an hierarchical world. Inspector Christer (Ola Rapace) is engaged to be married to Gabriella (Lisa Henni), but it's clear that her family disapproves of the relationship: Christer is 'in trade,' so to speak, rather than possessing old money, and many of Gabriella's relatives, notably Fanny (Anita Wall) and Otto (Andreas Nilsson) obviously resent his presence.

What director Daniel di Grado shows, however, is that none of the family have any grounds for resentment; they have plenty of skeletons in the cupboard which gradually emerge as the body-count piles up. Christer has to switch roles, from being a subservient groom into an inspector doing his job, and it's clear that many of the family don't like it. Fredrik (Måns Westfelt) treats him rather like an insect, to be metaphorically squashed under his bourgeois foot.

Within this complicated scenario, Puck (Tuva Novotny) and Eje (Linus Wahlgren) assume a peripheral role: Puck only really becomes involved when she is left alone in her bedroom one night and becomes genuinely scared for her safety. As a close friend of Christer, she is equally likely to encounter resentment - or even revenge - from the family. There is one particularly well-staged sequence where a mysterious man enters her room, causing her to jump; director di Grado stages the action in darkness until the very end, when we discover that the intruder is actually Eje.

The plot, as with all detective fictions, is a complicated one, depending to a large extent on information narrated by Christer. Nonetheless the ending is refreshingly unexpected, as the murderer's identity is finally revealed. For all their pretensions, Gabriella's family turns out to be incredibly corrupt; hence we wonder why Christer chooses to return to his fiancée's arms right at the end. Perhaps all will be revealed in subsequent episodes.

Not even the basic rules of filmmaking are met

[torabatol · 4/10 · 13 November 2020]

As someone who has made short films just for the fun of it, using the basic rules of filmmaking, this film doesn't reach the bare basics of the rules to follow. I'm well aware of that this film is a detective genre, but there are countless questionable and plain out weird camera angles that are seen throughout the film. I can name several scenes where there is clear confusion about which character is speaking, also where you don't know if someone is in a scene until they suddenly start speaking during a brand new angle. The script is horrible, it's like if someone took a British novel and put it through Google translate and decided that it was finished. One of the character are clearly fake sneezing (since you always hear that there's no snot in her nose), which she does constantly through her scenes. The main detective's actor is unable to deliver his lines. At the beginning of his pieces of the script, he lets out a larger amount of his breath which makes it sounds like he's reminded to raise his voice all the time. He's constantly extremely monotone and his eyes are glaring at the person he's having eye contact with. The only reason this isn't getting 3 stars is because Andreas Nilsson does a brilliant job at acting his role.

excellent episode

[steen-just · 10/10 · 16 February 2016]

This series have some interesting episodes - and this is by far the best. Old sins cast long shadows, people are not what they seem to be - and the main characters have some ambiguous motives. Maybe a bit too Christien for some of you, but set in Sweden, a lot of Scandinavian atmosphere too.

The main female character, Puck, is very curious and has a "nose" for mysteries, and maybe she's a bit too fascinated of her husband's friend, the Chief Inspector Wijk, who's trying to solve the crime. And it seems as if he's "in love with his best friends baby - cause she's drop dead beautiful." Another review states, that "Christer chooses to return to his fiancée's arms right at the end." This is a mistake. In the end he is flirting with the murderer's wife - I guess some kind of consolation for both of them!

The atmosphere of the fifties is very nice performed - I really loved to see all this smoking and drinking - nowadays a single cigarette is abandoned in a TV-movie. So if you're "political correct" - forget about it!

Terrible script!

[creeda1 · 3/10 · 21 September 2014]

So badly written! Is it likely that a couple going to an engagement party (at which they seem to be the only guests) would be discussing the engagement as they come out of their car?? Surely they did all that when they were invited. Obviously just to set the scene... The difference between this series and any Agatha Christie one is that you never meet anyone outside the murder suspects/police. Miss Marple and Poirot are seen enjoying cups of tea and meals away from the main action. This is a most claustrophobic series - particularly for a foreigner like me to whom all the names seem vaguely similar, as do the characters. Otto and Jan Axel are equally odd names - their owners are quite nondescript. Also the constant by play between Puck and Christer get as little wearying - her husband seems a bit of a wimp. Of course Christer is the most interesting - good old Stefan from Wallander! The only one with a bit of pep! Puck has the most tedious mannerisms (weary side-long glances, pursed lips..) This is the 3rd I've seen - if I want to see Fifties clothes I can look at old Vogue magazines on line! Shan't be watching any more!!