While the fanbases for the likes of ‘The Killing’ and the original Swedish ‘Wallander’ on the small screen have enjoyed engaging characters and twisty revelations, not every recent film exploiting the Nordic noir brand has proved so grown-up. Banish thoughts of ‘Headhunters’ and ‘Jackpot’, since this rural Swedish policier – a sequel to director Kjell Sundvall’s admired 1996 thriller ‘The Hunters’ – is the real deal.
When a female cop goes missing, a top Stockholm detective (Rolf Lassgård) is drafted in, prompting bristling resentment from the local officer (Peter Stormare) who already has a suspect. Both investigators are linked by a tragedy in Lassgård’s past, and his return to home ground becomes a source of lingering guilt and building animosity. The careful layering of personal grievances and procedural plot points is immersive, and even if the conclusion is not unguessable, there’s much gnarled emotion and tingly suspense. Helped by muscular turns from the leads, this is the real deal when it comes to Nordic noir.