And whether or not this version of Kurt Wallander is wholly faithful to the original novels, I absolutely love Kenneth Branagh in this show and I really feel like he was born to play this character. The sense of atmosphere created by the filmmakers is superb – moody, creepy, and absorbing. I do have a feeling that those with insider knowledge would probably argue that this show is a case of the Brits “doing” Swedish culture, but for me there’s enough of a difference in mood, setting, and presentation to make Wallander stand out from typical British mystery fare.
#WALLANDER FACELESS KILLERS SERIES#
The stories and character backgrounds are utterly unknown to me, so watching Wallander’s character develop over the course of this series has been a fantastic, completely absorbing treat. In a way I’m quite grateful for my lack of pre-knowledge about the storylines, because that allows me to approach each entry in this series with fresh eyes. In fact, I’d never even heard of Mankell until Wallander premiered on Masterpiece Mystery last year. I have no idea how faithful these films are to the original source material, the crime novels of Henning Mankell. Now the overworked, stressed Wallander must try to stop revenge killings while attempting close the Lovgren case, which proves more complex than originally thought. Though Wallander refuses to commit to the possibility that Maria may have been muttering “foreigner” with her dying breath, the potential lead is leaked to the media and soon the police are dealing with an overwhelming tide of anti-immigrant sentiment. “Fffff….” – was she trying to say “farmer,” or “foreigner”? Could Wallander be projecting his own struggle over his latest war of words with his daughter, whose boyfriend is a doctor of Syrian heritage – a fact that surprised the detective, and awakened possible prejudices within him that he didn’t know he had, much less wanted to admit to or risk projecting on a case. When Wallander is called to the crime scene from a dinner with his daughter, Linda ( Jeany Spark, due to appear in this week's upcoming Sherlock episode!) and her new boyfriend, Jamal ( Arsher Ali), he’s just in time to hear Maria’s final words.
Maria’s final scream, as the camera cuts away, is positively blood-curdling. An elderly farming couple, Joannes and Maria Lovgren, appear to be enjoying a quiet meal when they’re interrupted by two masked intruders. (One episode 90 minutes, TV-PG) The opening scene of this episode has to be one of the most chilling in the series. Faceless Killers is based on the novel by international bestseller Henning Mankell. Wallander's inquiry takes him deep into his own damaged psyche, forcing him to examine and question his own motives before he can even begin to understand those of a killer. But there is more to the case - a potential mistress, a lost son and a large sum of money. As Swedish inspector (Kenneth Branagh) arrives at the horrific scene, he holds the old woman as she dies, shouting to her one final, urgent question - "Who did this?" She sounds out something that could be "farmer" or maybe "foreigner." But is Wallander reading into it? Is he swayed by his struggle to relate to his daughter's new boyfriend of Syrian descent? The press takes hold of the foreigner angle, inciting swift and deadly retribution against local migrant workers. Here’s the story summary from the PBS website:Īn elderly couple is brutally assaulted in their rural farmhouse.
The first episode of Series II was ominously entitled Faceless Killers. Thankfully, I didn’t make that mistake – Wallander is the perfect vehicle for Branagh’s acting talents, and the stories are wholly absorbing. Thanks to some less than intriguing (in my view at any rate) previews, I’d nearly made the mistake of writing off the show entirely despite my long-time appreciation of lead actor Kenneth Branagh. Better late than never, right? Last year Wallander was a great surprise. Now that Series II is on DVD, I’m hoping to rectify that situation. Due to time constraints and various other issues that came up when Series II aired a few weeks ago on Masterpiece Mystery, I was unable to review the episodes as they aired. Poor Wallander got the short end of the stick on the blog this year, I’m afraid.
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