Wallander 

A television show centered on a soul-searching Swedish cop.

Stars:

Kenneth Branagh, Richard McCabe, Jeany Spark

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 12 wins & 28 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Kenneth Branagh	...	Kurt Wallander 12 episodes, 2008-2015
Richard McCabe	...	Nyberg 11 episodes, 2008-2015
Jeany Spark	...	Linda Wallander 10 episodes, 2008-2015
Sarah Smart	...	Anne-Britt Hoglund 9 episodes, 2008-2012
Sadie Shimmin	...	Lisa Holgersson 6 episodes, 2008-2010
Tom Hiddleston	...	Magnus Martinsson 6 episodes, 2008-2010
Barnaby Kay	...	Lennart Mattson 5 episodes, 2012-2015
David Warner	...	Povel Wallander 5 episodes, 2008-2015

Storyline

Existential detective Kurt Wallander must battle his own demons as he works to solve a series of bizarre crimes in southern Sweden. This series is made up of four distinct films, each one a mysterious journey into murder, deception, and baffling crimes. Follow Inspector Kurt Wallander - a disillusioned everyman - as he struggles against a rising tide of violence in the seemingly sleepy backwaters in and around Ystad in beautiful southern Sweden. Brilliantly acted and visually dazzling, Wallander is based on the bestselling Swedish crime novels by Henning Mankell.

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Plot Keywords:

sweden | running on empty | alzheimer's disease | tragic hero | police station | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Henning Mankell had originally ended the Wallander book series in 1999 ("Before the Frost", published in 2002, was actually meant to launch a spin-off series with Linda Wallander as the protagonist, while Kurt appears only as a supporting character). He went back on his decision after the success of the first season, and wrote "The Troubled Man" as a result.

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Connections

Version of Wallander (2005)

User Reviews

Swedish Wallander a cut above its British counterpart

Branagh portrays Henning Menkel's obsessed and depressive detective with morose conviction. Instead Wallander feels as if it has been done the other way around, like a typical British TV crime drama transplanted to Sweden. The actors' curiously stilted and accent-less English often grates on the ear and the use of Swedish names and places requires the same suspension of disbelief required to listen to dubbed films. It also makes it difficult for the actors to flesh out their characters or make them entirely believable in a Swedish context.

Much of the time, Branagh and co. simply aren't convincing as police officers, and sound more like a group of Oxbridge academics conducting a research project rather than police engaged in a murder inquiry. The series is also limited in that it has been written too much as a vehicle for Branagh, and the other characters are marginalized to the point when they barely have any individual life at all.

All this is very different from the Swedish original, where even the regular minor characters became important components of the storyline, with tensions and relationships that were were clearly established, and where crimes were solved, not just because of Wallander's moments of individual genius, but through teamwork and collaboration and the gradual accumulation of small details.

And for all his moody, unshaven portrayal of a driven and traumatized detective haunted by his job and his personal demons, Branagh's performance pales in comparison with his Swedish counterpart Krister Henriksson.

Henriksson's Wallander had a complexity, humanity and nobility that is lacking in Branagh's more one-dimensional performance. His strikingly expressive face conveyed the sense of a man constantly saddened and outraged by the unspeakable acts he is forced to witness, and taking consolation in his music, his relationships with women, his dog, and the sea.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/mjm4xs7

Details

Country:

UK Sweden Germany USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 May 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wallander

Filming Locations:

Ystad, Skåne län, Sweden

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zodiak Entertainment, ARD Degeto Film, BBC Scotland

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD