There's no reason to waste a lot of time or space reviewing this pathetically silly crime series. English actors with pronounced English accents and slang portraying Swedish characters in Sweden produces an amazingly absurd result. I'm pleased I watched the Swedish version of this series first or I may never have after slogging through three episodes of English Kurt Wallander. Not only that, but this version of Wallander is horribly inept- just when you expect him to ask a key question of a witness, he either gazes into space, mumbles something incoherent and trudges off or is interrupted to answer his cell and- apparently unable to handle more than a single task- never follows through with the all-important question.Three and done. As I said, skip this and go for the Swedish version- there is no comparison.

If you like the genre, you will be absolutely astonished and overwhelmed by these 4 series of BBC TV production of Inspector Wallander, based on the brilliant and highly appreciated novels written by the gifted and much loved Swedish writer Henning Mankell, whom I personally sadly and deeply miss, since the very first day after his death. It is a very high quality product, from every point of view. The producers, the director, and every single actor involved in the making of these fantastic series have given their best in order to offer a really special final result. And what can be said about Kenneth Branagh that hasn't still been said? I have to say that as far as I'm concerned, the success of this project has basically been achieved thanks to him. He always works at his best, this is not new. But probably this work is something he has strongly loved and wanted. And everyone can see it just from the beginning of the very first episode of the first series. Good job, man, very well done!!!!

Very glad to learn Ingeborga Dapkunaite is returning for the fourth season .. hopefully she can rescue him.. and this series from its dismal, doomed feeling.. (is there anytime any sun in these locations?). Wallander is a good show.. decidedly not for mass appeal, but none the less worthwhile viewing. But surely the lead character could be less distant and forlorn (it is never ending with doom and gloom surrounding him). The series needs to be rescued. Crime dramas are always less interesting than the life-stories of the characters described within them. There's three chances left.. let's roll the dice.. and wish it winds up on the side of hopefulness.

Since Yellow Bird has produced Millennium trilogy, Swedish crime movies revived. Local box office in 2013 noted the highest annual result since 1980's. Millennium earned worldwide, according to mojoboxoffice.com: a total of $94 mln with a budget $13 mln. Such popularity and audience feedback gave a green light to further crime novels adaptations. Swedish crime movies have hit the worldwide audience and became an export commodity since Bergman. This contemporary noir owns a success mostly to the wealth of Swedish literature. The correlation between cinema and literature has existed since the dawn of Swedish cinematography, just to mention Victor Sjöström and Mauritz Stiller and the book filming of Selma Lagerlöf. Literature known as a Nordic Noir is listed as bestseller and translated into many languages. Protagonists of Jo Nesbo, Camilla Läckberg, and Mankel have entered the canon and became ideal to portray on the screen. No wonder, the style that enchanted so many people has a rich background for generating stories.Kurt Wallander, Swedish police commissioner of Ystad every day laboriously tries to solve murders committed in the area. He is an average man, in his 40ties, divorced, has one child, a daughter that he has a delicate and dynamic relations. Unresolved conflicts have made her suicidal and forced to go away for some time. She is the only person that cares for him - his wife has left him and has begun a new life with another man. Kurt's father never approved of his career choice and has been snippy since then. Now Kurt has to deal with his psychological issues and takes care of him. There is much going on in Wallander's life; it is definitely in crisis. Kurt dedicates most of his time, and he subordinates to work. Living the crime stories he pushes into the background all aspects of his life. That lifestyle has left him with heart disease, depression and lack of proximity from a woman. Most of his affairs eventually has fallen apart. Kurt is not perfect; he has advantages and disadvantages, is flawed and has many weaknesses. It is hard for him to adapt to new situations, but he is an excellent inspector. His strength lays in sensitivity, covered with superficial dryness and the desire to become a better person. He knows his defects and is critical but tries to work on his behavior and draw conclusions to change.The strength of this novel lies in venial and human frailty. Crime for Kurt is bread and butter, with the involvement of solving specific puzzles, he neglects relationships with others. Crime, death, anger have been interwoven here with the everyday, personal life. This lack of specific events is the strength of the show. It illustrates daily grind with an addition of crime. This does not mean that the film is shallow. The director and screenwriter efficiently conduct narrative, every minute of the movie is used, the rate rises slowly, but the climax is always satisfying and entertaining for the viewer. The process of deduction as a criminal film is not completely shown; there are gaps through which the audience is kept in suspense until the very end. The main character in books Hankel Manning is portrayed by Kenneth Branagh. The Shakespearian choice may surprise, but the Brit defends his workshop already acting from the first minutes of the film. A suitable form of light sensitivity, but it is also creative in emotions.As befits the Swedish thriller, the film has a social background, most of the circumstances and committed crime reflects the contemporary problems of the Swedish nation. Here we have, abuse by men against women, the problem of the perception of immigrants and the exploitation of minors from the former Eastern Bloc as well as the problem of religion and fanaticism. Nordic Noir series shows a dark page of human existence. If you are a fan of crime stories those miniseries will be worth your time and money. In the beginning, there are some doubts, especially about the pacing. There is no hyped action mystery and crime here is first and foremost. Mini Series Crime was produced in 3 seasons (for now), each of them consists of only three episodes. Such a small number compensates for the length of the movie. Each of these lasts for ninety minutes. Created by Swedish production company founded by Mankell and Danish producer Ole Søndberg, to adapt a crime novels in a way that reflected their approach.