User reviews

This is the third installment in the Department Q series. Saw this few days back on a DVD. It begins with a message in a bottle from disappeared children. The movie starts as a kidnapping drama n then turns into a serial killer thriller n later explores the importance of faith. Some may compare this to Prisoners, True Detectives S1 n Marshland. Nonetheless it is a very solid crime thriller. There is sufficient tension n good amount of atmosphere. The cinematography was gorgeous. This time the movie has some decent action sequences too. Trains, helicopters, car chase. Our two leading detectives, Nikolaj Lie Kaas n Fares Fares acted good. The guy who played the serial killer acted well. He is the creepiest and most effective villain of the Department Q films.

I saw Norwegian director Hans Petter Moland's recent film In Order of Disappearance (2014) a couple of years ago. I was very impressed with that Nordic noir which was both very humorous and inventive. A Conspiracy of Faith is another thriller but one with quite a differing approach. It dispenses with the comedy of the earlier film and instead goes for a pretty downbeat approach. Hardly surprising really when you consider that the story is about two cops investigating the case of two abducted children. This kind of material is always one that is going to be somewhat dark, another recent north European film The Treatment (2014) dealt with this subject in a very head on manner and consequently was very disturbing indeed in places. A Conspiracy of Faith only goes so far with its dark material and by the end of the film slightly dissipates its impact further by having its narrative go into more standard thriller territory. But despite that, this is still another compelling bit of Nordic noir.

There are strong acting performances throughout, with a return performance from Pål Sverre Hagen - so memorable as the hilarious vegan crime boss from In Order of Disappearance - as the cold hearted psychopath. The story has added interest in that it mixes in themes of religion, with the killer himself solely targeting children from deeply religious families, exploiting the fact that these people have more faith in God than in the police. So there are a few distinctive elements interwoven into what otherwise may have been a standard serial killer thriller. I would probably rate this as less interesting as the more ambitious In Order of Disappearance but it still remains yet another pretty impressive Scandinavian noir.

This is the best of the three films in my opinion, it is not darker as such, off course the fact that its about kids getting taken is just not very nice to think about, but the cases they are working on are dark and we are beginning to know the characters and their different persona's and they really capture many great aspects of the characters and their interaction with other people.

I haven't read any of the books, but based on my wife's explanation, this is also the best adaption of the books, they are still changing things and making it more viewer friendly, but that's how it is.

Serial killers are always strange and dark, but this one is very well portrayed by Pål Sverre Hagen, he really seems like this nice guy, good looking (a Norwegian Ryan Gosling), well spoken, calm and trustworthy. But deep down he is just a bad bad man, with a terrible past and a twisted mind.

Location, seating & time: Dagmar, Nordisk Film, Vesterbro, Denmark - Bio 2, row 6 seat 1 & 3 - 22.03.2016 at 16.30

It might seem that there is a decline in the movies, but this is still rock solid. I can only imagine that the book is even more than that. It has characters from the previous movies (and books of course) and has a case that is pretty strong. You don't have the urgent feeling and the playfulness it had in the previous movies. As dark as they got, you always had something light in them.

That's almost missing entirely here. There's still character moments, but strings and things are being said and left on the sideline without giving them a resolution. It's a shame, but the movie is packed so much, that some things have not the punch they deserved to have and should have had. Still the movie and especially the villain are great. And it's not so much about who it is, but why he is and where and how to find him ...

When I went to see the film The Keeper of Lost Causes, I loved the movie so much that when I discovered it was one in a trilogy called Department Q, I had to see the others. I saw the second of the movies, The Absent One and was as impressed with it as the first. Now I'm up to A Conspiracy of Faith and I'm Definitely impress with the trilogy as a whole, but must confess, this is the weakest out of them all.

In A Conspiracy of Faith, police detective Carl ls burnt out and needs some resurgence that his job is worth it as he works the cold case Department Q. This comes at a bad time when Department Q catches the case of a 3 year old murder, and discover the killer is not done killing.

The movie takes a certain turn away form the other two. The case is not as complex, it's more right in your face, which allows for more action. It's the type of format I would expect from the second movie not the third.

On it's own A Conspiracy of Faith is a suspenseful action thriller, that's straight up protagonist vs. antagonist with a lot of dark themes and concepts that make for a remarkable film.

As part of the Department Q trilogy, it's new take on the crime drama series makes it fall into the third movie cruse.

I had high expectations for this third film - would it be as good as the two previous films?

I am delighted that it is. But different than the other two films. This film has more dialog between the two main characters, about they're personal life and faith. It brings more depths to the characters, and it does not come in the way of the story-line.

As the previous films, this haunting crime-film is all about the darkest and most twisted evil people, and they're terrible actions towards innocent people. In this film it also deals with children, so it's very gripping. As a Norwegian Im delighted to see Norwegians actors in this film, they really brings life to the film, acting in a convincing way. It even has a Norwegian director. But this it danish crime at it's very very best.

Well, if you like dark tales, this one is for you. Hope they follow this up with more films.

After watching the first 2 films of the series, I was left amazed at the intrigue of this show. They were dark and complex and left you on the edge of your seat. However, this film was below par in my opinion. I still loved it. However, it did not reach my expectations. The plot of this film is probably the darkest of the lot but I felt there wasn't as good a flow to it as the others. Nevertheless, it was a great film to watch which kept me guessing throughout, with a satisfying ending

As I had seen Kvinden i buret and Fasandræberne and liked them both, it is logical that I set to Flaskepost fra P as well. And I am contented again, even a bit more than with the other two. Following the main leitmotif, there are witty dialogues between the two policemen about faith and religion, and more suspense scenes where the outcome is unpredictable. Perhaps the wrongdoer's identity was revealed too soon, but his motives not revealed until the end and great performances of all stars of the film generated yet a pleasant and intense film experience, based on a renown book by Jussi Adler-Olsen (well, I have not read them, but I am not a person vigorously comparing related books and films, with a trivial conclusion that "the book was much better" :))

So, another good creation within Scandinavian Noir, and another reason and opportunity to acquaint yourself with Nikolaj Lie Kaas' talent.

This is the best chapter among the three, in my opinion. "Department Q" is a honest, low-flying franchise; it does few things, but does them very well. It's some kind of a very very good, 2-hours long tv episode. It keeps you hooked till the end (that's something very important in crime fiction), while entertaining you with good photography, good acting, and some tongue-in-cheek humor.

A special mention for the lead actor, that delivers an outstanding interpretation here, something worth of Hollywood in my opinion.

Recommended for a relaxing evening at home, it's fiction with no flaws. On a side note, some sequences in all three movies are violent or gory and can be disturbing to some.

This is the third, and so far the best, film from Jussi Adler-Olsen's crime novels about the Department Q. The first "Kvinden i buret"/"The Keeper of Lost Causes" (2013) I rated 7/10, and was quite disappointed about the much more convoluted "Fasandreberne"/"The absent one" (2014), which I voted 5/10. Then I'm happy to say that this is a big step back from the last film directed by Mikkel Nørgaard.

Acclaimed Norwegian director Hans Petter Moland has taken over, and made a much more serious and darker Nordic noir.

The film is about a serial killer, acting as a cult leader. He kidnaps two children and demands ransom. But before this the Departemnt Q gets a case with a eight year old strange message found in a bottle. This is the start of an intense hunt.

The acting is superb, and mix with religion makes it very interesting. The film is slightly let down by being a lower budget production, though just from being a classic. it's still a very dark crime thriller.

Carl Morck (played by Nikolaj Lie Kaas) is very depressed and heavy minded. He makes his best role so far here. There is also a very strong acting performance by Pål Sverre Hagen, which does another psychopath here, just as in Moland's incredible "In order of disappearance"/"Kraftidioten". Once again a memorable role.

A well recommended Nordic noir.

What on first looks seems to be a serial killer story, doubles as well as a story about faith and the vulnerability of small religious communities.

What's most rewarding about this bleak and depressing story are the characters, especially the two detectives, who both struggle to solve a missing childs case and get emotionally torn up by their inability to find the criminal responsible.

Suspenseful from start till finish. With a few vicious violent scenes, so beware if of that if you choose to go see this movie.

What's a bit lacking in this story is the credibility of certain plot turns. It's a minor nag, but not one I can overlook.

Not a picture I would like to recommend to friends or family, because it is such a dark and depressing movie, but those who are into slowburning, dark and twisted dramas might wanna consider this mindboggling tale of evil.

I am gonna keep it short and simple-

I think the biggest problem with the movie is that the tone from the first 2 movies is missing from this part.There isn't edge of thrill moment as the first 2 parts had.Seems like director was in hurry to complete the movie.It's watchable but not as good as the first 2 parts.

The third film in the 'Department Q' series that adapted from the book series of the same name. For this the director has changed, the one from 'In Order of Disappearance' and I think it was a good move, but the result was not as expected, at least not for me. As the sequels proceeding, it's losing its charm. Yeah, for me still the first film was the best one. That following parts were just okay, which rely highly on the great foundation that laid in the first.

Actually this story was good, despite like any cop-and-kidnapper- chase-thriller. But it was developed on the sensitive issue like faith which made the film a little shy. Because they don't want to bring in any serious debate, but wanted to balance everything as much as possible to be neutral from all kinds of this film series' fans/viewer's perspective. So you will be entertained as the title promised, but at the end if you consider it just a film, then it's okay. Otherwise, particularly from the atheist's viewpoint, its not any favourable.

The story has a clear explanation for whatever happens, especially about the film character who commits the crime. So it is a challenging time for what Carl Morck believes in. So far we saw him as a tough cop, but this particular case he's dealing with is like he had never encountered before. There are some great scenes, like chasing a train which is actually a turning point in the narration. But the rest of the film was mostly has cliché like any cop who tries to solve the crime.

❝With that attitude you'll never enjoy a pork roast.❞

The plot for the crime was focused on the initial stage of the tale. The following narration was highly influenced by the cops and their attempt to resolve the issue. But before coming to that, an intentional connection between the two cases was not definitely a masterstroke as I expected. Although it looked something new on the screenplay, which might have worked so good in the dark and slow paced crime-thriller.

While they are, Carl and Acid are looking to decipher the puzzle they have got which is dated back nearly a decade, now they come to know that two kids were kidnapped in a similar fashion. They begin to dig deeper from the previous clue for the new incident. If they are right, it is much closer than they have thought to solve it. But how it helps to plan for the fight and their full efforts which told in the final act with a fast pace.

Little disappointing was they wanted to remain those two cops as the heroes. So all the heroic acts were a build up from them alone in most of the accounts for the cinematic edgy moments. Especially how the finale turns out, is not appreciable from the writing perspective, other than giving satisfactory episode to the hardcore fans of the film franchise.

For me the locations were awesome, all the scenes shot at the right time of the day and its light that sets a fine tone regarding all the developments taking place. A decent follow-up and surely worth a watch if you had liked previous two films, but don't expect it to be the best in the series. Anyway, still some people think it is the best one so far. Now I think it's time to wait for 'The Purity of Vengeance' if they are on to it.

6/10

DEPARTMENT Q is not a bad movie. It starts out very good and intriguing. The premise feels very different and promising. As things unfold, however, we realize that this movie will be nothing special.

It's actually pretty average. Not bad at all, by any means. The acting is good and so is the directing. But there's no great ending or anything like that. It starts out better than it ends, so that makes it a little disappointing. Overall, it's not bad though. Recommend for those looking for something a little different, but not too different.

I watched this late one night because...I didn't see anything else that stoked my interest.

This is a very entertaining, engrossing, well executed, well acted movie! I cared a great deal about all of the primary and secondary characters! There was an unexpected kindness, caring and tenderness amongst the characters that, while not standing in the way of dogged determination, made them seem like realistic and somewhat vulnerable humans who are compelled to protect others.

I have to be 100% transparent: I like violent and bloody movies. I find them cathartic. This story had me wrapt with very little of either!

This third installment is, in many ways, the darkest of the series. It's not "deranged" dark in the manner of the disturbing "The Treatment" (a must see for lovers of the genre - but admittedly a tough film with psychologically destructive activities discussed) but that in addition to involving the murder and abuse of children, and the continuing psychological deterioration of one the its main characters, it also dares to challenge the concept of faith (although like most films that tread in this direction, it fails to spend the added time and argument that can successfully undermine even the most devout adherents, instead - as is also typical - backsliding a bit from it's own dark realistic world view to allow some warmth in). If the first two films challenged what we expect from this genre, and what we expect from genre protagonists, this film also challenges some deeper held beliefs (even if it doesn't quite go far enough) and is all the braver for the effort. Best if watched in order and I am delighted they are filming a fourth in this series!

Erlösung was an interesting watch. This thriller plays in Denmark and you see for once other pictures than in the usual Hollywood films of this genre. The story is promising but loses sometimes itself to stick criminal research elements together until the end. There are some flaws but if you can look away it works anyway for a solid thriller. I expected some harder punishment for the kidnapper that I want not to spoil more here. In other American kidnapping movies the killing scene of the bad guy is developed much more spectacular. If you liked it you should see Panic Room, Hostage, Trapped or The Call. You won't regret. In fact Erlösung is one part of a trilogy with the same actors. There are rumors that they will be filmed for a remake in Hollywood. So I think I wait to see the other two until they come out new again. 6/10.

A man abducted and killed kids around area..and two detectives tries find him and save 2 kids...i like this movie becozz of investigates linear way without any unwanted branch stories...but photography are same for flsahback and normal..

A cold and dark film with thrills, chills, and scary incidents. The two detectives return to action adapting the third book of the bestselling ¨Department Q¨ saga by Danish Carl Valdemar, better known as Jussi Olsen. A bottle thrown into the Jutland sea with a message inside reaches department Q, responsible for unsolved cases. An old note is found in the bottle in which has traveled very long across the ocean a long time ago. The note is hard to decipher, but when the Danish investigator from Section Q receives it, the odd personalities within the section find a new angle on it and try to unveil yet another old and diabolic case even though the lead is cold. When they analyze the letter, they discover that it is written in tar, its author is a child, it is stained with blood and was thrown into the sea at least six years earlier. As two intertwined cases linking the past with the present require the aid of Department Q and they have to catch an elusive serial killer while time is running out. What happens if you can't let go of the past, if it eats you up inside?. Nothing is forgotten forever!. Based on the best-selling novel of First Department Q!. From the Screenwriter of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'!. Your last chance at him is the lost causes department!. Some missing children, a reopened case!

Police thriller in the purest Nordic style with strong suspense, emotion, plot twists and action enough, concerning a relentless search that takes them deep into the undercurrent of religious fanaticism, children abuse, and malice that hides beneath the surface of the prosperous Scandinavia. This slow-moving film with strong doses of violence, adapts the third successful novel, from best-selling books written by Jussi Adler-Olsen, to the big screen. This police thriller is well directed and has a script by Nikolaj Arcel, who had written the storyline for the film adaptation of the first installment of Milennium, another of the most important Nordic sagas in history. Director Petter Moland does it European way, showing clarity in the cinematographic approach within the story. Well starred by Nikolaj Lie Kaas as the brave and surly police inspector Carl Morck and Fares Fares as the faithful Islamist assistant Assad, both of them give magnificent interpretations .

It is a truly tragic film about a twisted inventigation in which our two protagonists face the most difficult case, an extremely religious fanatic villain who cares about nothing but achieving his ominous goals. This decent film was professionally directed by Hans Petter Moland, replacing Mikkel Norggaard, responsible for the first two installments of the saga. In this entry the unpredictable Carl Morck - more intractable and introspective than ever - is once again played by Nikolaj Kaas, while Fares Fares gives life, once again, to his faithful companion of the Assad department. Along with them nice actors appear , such as: Pål Sverre Hagen, Jacob Lohmann, Amanda Collin, Johanne Louise Schmidt, Jakob Oftebro , among others.

The great protagonists Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Fares Fares signed a four-film deal, matching the number of Department Q novels written by Jussi Adler-Olsen that had been published at the time of filming. The saga is as follows: ¨Kvinden i buret¨ or ¨The Guardian of Lost Causes¨ (2013) by Mikkel Nørgaard with Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Fares Fares, Sonja Richter. ¨Fasandreperne¨ or ¨Pheasant Killers¨ (2014) by Mikkel Norgaard with Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Fares Fares, Pilou Asbæk. ¨Flaskepost fra P¨ or ¨A Conspiracy of Faith¨ (2016) by Hans Petter with Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Fares Fares, Pål Sverre Hagen, Amanda Collin. ¨Diario 64¨ or ¨The Purity of Revenge¨ (2018) by Christoffer Boe with Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Fares Fares, Johanne Louise Schmidt, Søren Pilmark. And ¨Marco effekten¨ or "The marco effect¨ (2021) by Martin Zandvliet with Ulrich Thomsen as Carl Mørck and Zaki Youssef as Assad.