The Absent One

This Danish crime thriller is so dark and stormy it will leave you dazed as the credits roll. ‘The Absent One’ is the second instalment of the bestselling Department Q series of novels by Jussi Adler-Olsen and follows a boozy, brooding cold-case cop and his rational-thinking partner as they investigate a spate of twisted crimes that took place at a posh boarding school in the ’90s. In some ways the film is quite formulaic: you can guess who the bad guys are from the word go. Still, it’s a pleasure to watch. Suspense is built with gory flashbacks and a willingness to show cruel violence without cutting away. Expect to feel tense right up to the end.