Man on the Roof (1976)

Police lieutenant Nyman is murdered in his hospital bed and Martin Beck and his colleagues have another murder to solve. They discover that Nyman was a very tough policeman who received ... See full summary »

Director:

Bo Widerberg

Writers:

Maj Sjöwall (novel) (as Sjöwall), Per Wahlöö (novel) (as Wahlöö)

Stars:

Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt, Sven Wollter, Thomas Hellberg

2 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt	...	Martin Beck (as Carl Gustaf Lindstedt)
Sven Wollter	...	Lennart Kollberg
Thomas Hellberg	...	Gunvald Larsson
Håkan Serner	...	Einar Rönn
Ingvar Hirdwall	...	Åke Eriksson (as Ingvar Hirdvall)
Bellan Roos	...	Mrs. Eriksson
Gus Dahlström	...	Mr. Eriksson
Harald Hamrell	...	Stefan Nyman
Birgitta Valberg	...	Mrs. Nyman
Carl-Axel Heiknert	...	Palmon Harald Hult (as Carl Axel Heiknert)
Torgny Anderberg	...	Malm
Folke Hjort	...	Melander
Eva Remaeus	...	Mrs. Kollberg
Gunnel Wadner	...	Mrs. Beck

Storyline

Police lieutenant Nyman is murdered in his hospital bed and Martin Beck and his colleagues have another murder to solve. They discover that Nyman was a very tough policeman who received several complaints about his methods. His partner Hult defends him against these accusations, while Nyman's widow explains that Hult was the only one outside of the family who knew where Nyman was hospitalized. It becomes obvious to Beck, that a lot of people wanted Nyman dead, but he is not the only one targeted. Soon a sniper kills policemen from a roof in central Stockholm.

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Plot Keywords:

roof | policeman | police | hospital | murder | 

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Taglines:

Detective Story Fans Will Be Gripped By This Realistic, Human Police Thriller

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Release Date:

April 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Man on the Roof

Filming Locations:

Bagarmossen, Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden

Box Office

Budget:

SEK 3,900,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI),Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt is the third actor who has played Martin Beck. The first Martin Beck was Keve Hjelm in Roseanna (1967). After him Walter Matthau played the part in The Laughing Policeman (1973), though the character's name was changed to Jake Martin. After Lindstedt the part has been played by Derek Jacobi, Gösta Ekman and Peter Haber.

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Goofs

The story takes place on 27 March 1976, however, advertisement for "Christmas Sausages" can be seen on the top of a taxi cab.

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Quotes

Lennart Kollberg: Ask yourself this: Who was Stig Nyman?
Martin Beck: I didn't really know him very well...
Lennart Kollberg: Don't be evasive! Who was he? Or rather, what was he?
Martin Beck: A police.
Lennart Kollberg: Not a satisfying answer
Einar Rönn: A police lieutenant...? I have to make a phone call
Lennart Kollberg: Well. What was he?
Martin Beck: A bad policeman.
Lennart Kollberg: Wrong! Nyman was a fucking lousy policeman!

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Connections

Featured in Stjärnbilder (1995)

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Soundtracks

Fjällbruden
Composed by Arthur Hedström
Lyrics by Fritz Gustaf Sundelöf and Oleg Quist (Helge Roundquist)

User Reviews

Action with Intellectual Mind

Uncharacteristicly excellent crafted action film that takes a frank look at the horrors of Police corruption. Well thought out story with terrific action set pieces. A fine example of Swedish filmmaking in the 1970s. Its about an investigation into the murder of a high ranking Policeman who is found out was corrupt and sadistic. The murder sequence at the beginning is brutal and gory. Done with good scenes of Police procedural by Bo Widerberg.

Mannen Pa Taket/The Man on the Roof(1976) has something which many high Hollywood films of today do not have and that is brains. Carl Gustaf Lindstedt gives a fine performance as DT. Martin Beck. The climax is nail biting and realistic. The last act of Mannen Pa Taket(1976) also has its share of humor. The scenes involving a sniper in the final act might have influenced a similar scene in the opening moments of God Told Me To(1977). The Man on the Roof(1976) is a neglected action classic that should find its way on DVD someday.