Thursday 21 January 2010

Wallander - The Secret


I have caught up with the final episode of the Swedish TV series about Henning Mankell’s Kurt Wallander. This was The Secret, and it has to rank as about the darkest episode in a television cop series that I’ve ever seen. Not easy viewing, but impressively done.

The story involves the abduction and murder of an 11 year old boy. Early scenes also detail the abuse of another young boy. Wallander and his team soon identify a prime suspect, but he is found murdered. By this time, Stefan (brilliantly played by Ola Rapace) has become very personally involved in the case. He knows the dead boy’s father, but this does not seem to explain the depth of his rage about the crime.

A retired cop who was associated with the dead suspect comes into the frame. He appears to be a sinister character, but it turns out that he has a track record of pursuing paedophiles with considerable success. However, there are further twists in the story before the traumatic final moments of the story.

I found this series – and I watched almost all of the 13 episodes, something I don’t often manage to do – exceptionally good viewing. At its best, it was outstanding, and even the weaker story-lines were competently done. Krister Henriksson was superb as Wallander, but part of the strength of the series lay in the quality of the supporting cast, notably Rapace and Johanna Sallstrom as Linda Wallander. Others have written about the sad death of Sallstrom after the series was filmed. Suffice to say that hers is a tragic story, and a great loss.

6 comments:

David Cranmer said...

I just read my first Kurt Wallander novel, BEFORE THE FROST, and think it was tops. A TV show! I will see if they offer it on DVD or online somewhere. Sounds terrific.

Max Henry said...

Hi Martin

The Wallender films and all of Mankell's books provide a fascinating insight into a part of the world that is unfamiliar to many of us.I've become hooked on the Scandinavian Crime Novel genre and especially enjoy the novels of Kjell Eriksson and Gunnar Staalesen. However, I started 2010 by reading The Arsenic Labyrinth that you set in lovely Coniston village. It was a great read, thank you. I was momentarily disappointed to realise that I will never get to visit the Museum of Lakeland Myths and Legends, but still have The Cypher Garden to look forward to.

Martin Edwards said...

Hi David. It certainly is terrific and I think you will enjoy it.

Martin Edwards said...

Hi Max. Needless to say, I'm delighted that you liked The Arsenic Labyrinth. I enjoyed creating that Museum and was influenced (a bit) by a fascinating museum in Batley, of all places - I was given a tour by the curator, who just happens to be married to a crime writer...
I haven't read Eriksson or Staalesen, I must admit, but have heard good things about them.

Phyllis said...

I agree wholly with your reactions to this series - but I think showing it was a bit of an own goal from the BBC! I now find Kenneth Branagh's version unwatchably slow and self-regarding. When Krister Henriksson finally broke down towards the end of "The Secret", it was truly shocking, whereas Branagh's frequent descents into tearfulness and intense staring-into-the-distance just seem hammy.
The BBC also showed a handful of episodes of the brilliant Italian TV series based on Andrea Camilleri's Sicilian detective, Inspector Montalbano. Fast, funny, sunny and tough, it's a wonderful tonic when Nordic glooms gets a bit too much!

Martin Edwards said...

Hi Phyllis. I've missed the Montalbano programmes, but will hope that repeats crop up before too long.