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Cast: Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson (Erlendur), Atli Rafn Sigurðsson (Örn), Björn Hlynur Haraldsson (Sigurður Óli),
Directed by: Baltasar Kormákur
Release date: January 2008
Language: Icelandic
Based on the novel Tainted Blood by Arnaldur Indriðason

I saw this DVD lying in a corner on the shelves of my local rental shop. Since I couldn’t get any of the movies I was searching for, I picked it up. From the cover it looked like some gothic vampire movie. Most of the names were absolute tongue twisters and sounded Nordic. I brought it home and was pleasantly surprised. Based on a supposedly popular novel, this Icelandic movie is one of the best murder mysteries I have seen in recent times. Consistently engaging and densely atmospheric with an intelligent, satisfying resolution. Most importantly, its a refreshing break from the assembly line serial killers and teen slashers Hollywood brings out in the name of whodunits at regular intervals. The broad outlines might look trite. But the details aren’t.

The main plot concerns the murder of an old guy living alone in an apartment. He had his head bashed in with an ashtray. Two neighborhood kids discover his body after a couple of days. The case is assigned to the world weary Erlendur. He is the prototype of the chain-smoking, tired old detective who has seen the depths of depravity and gruesomeness over his long years on the job. He doesn’t seem to care much about anything anymore. Still he’s meticulous on his job. Ingvar Sigurðsson prevents the familiar character from falling into cliched territory by making his loneliness relatable. He infuses Erlendur with unfussy stoic humanity.

Erlendur has a junkie daughter. She gets pregnant and moves back into his apartment. She turns out to be a liability for him in more ways than one. In addition to being a permanent source of pain and angst. Another subplot is about a young couple whose five-year old daughter is dying of some mysterious hereditary disease. Orn, the father is conducting some kind of research at the genetic research center in relation to this. In the process, he unearths old family secrets. And indirectly raises ethical questions regarding the collection of genetic data for all of Iceland’s 300,000 residents.

The Icelandic setting provides awe-inspiring, panoramic views of landscapes and roads winding through them. And where else would you find a detective with a weakness for sheep’s head as fast food. Also, Iceland is a small country. In fact its population size is such that it could easily reach the ears of a convicted felon that so and so cop in Reykjavik has a junkie daughter who sleeps around.

Instead of relying on CSI style hi-tech forensics, the cops here rely more on classic investigation techniques. The evidence trail leads to unsolved crimes from thirty years back. The denouement is kept under wraps primarily through a twist in the narrative structure. This might prove disconcerting for some viewers. Still the climax is quite logical and not something which has been tacked on as an afterthought.

There are a few instances of cynical humor. Such as the sequence where Erlendur’s partner is pushed to visit 160 houses, knock on each of them and ask a highly embarrassing question to sixty year old ladies. Otherwise, the movie is gloomy and morbid throughout. Each and every frame appears suffused with a feeling of deep-rooted decay. Precise handling and a willingness to keep it straight and simple makes the melancholic material work and results in an engrossing watch.