False Trail

This Swedish detective mystery is a film which is a sequel to a 90's movie I haven't actually seen, so I can't say how this one measures up against the original. Nevertheless, what can be said with certainty is this is another Scandinavian film which falls comfortably under the Nordic noir bracket. Like other north European thrillers, this one covers some dark and disturbing territory. A Stockholm police detective is sent to a small rural community to help solve the case of a missing girl, presumed murdered. He finds his more methodical methods at odds with the style of the lead police officer assigned to the case, a man who happens to be married to his widowed sister-in-law and who is now the father to his nephew.

This is another solid bit of Nordic noir, yet I would classify it as a lesser example of the sub-genre. While it is undoubtedly a compelling enough crime story, the resolution to the mystery isn't perhaps very surprising and revealed quite early at that. This is compounded further by the film being a little overlong at two hours plus, given its quite basic and relatively straightforward narrative, while the final confrontation sequence was a bit too much in standard thriller territory and felt like a bit of a let-down for me. I did think the acting was very good though and the sense of place a strong point typical for these types of features. I could just have done with a little more meat to the mystery. Still, my criticisms are still only relative to the generally high quality of recent Scandinavian crime films overall, as this remains a pretty solid mystery-thriller nevertheless. Aside from the crime story, there are family and city versus small town complications added to the mix and which do expand the drama. Overall, I would classify this as a good film as opposed to being a great one though.

FALSE TRAIL, a Swedish slice of crime noir, is a follow up to 1996's THE HUNTERS, and sees returning protagonist Erik Backstrom (Rolf Lassgard) back to solve more crimes in the chilly Scandinavian wilderness. Well, it took them fifteen years to make a sequel, but the wait was worth it: I find this to be a superior follow up in terms of excitement, thriller aspects, and pacing.

THE HUNTERS was a similarly-plotted story but had a different style of execution: it was darker, more of a family tragedy, and rather depressing. FALSE TRAIL is equally dark but has more of a conventional detective feel to it, a battle of wits between good and evil. Some viewers will find it the lesser piece, but I preferred it. It helps that Peter Stormare (FARGO) has a huge and complex role and is absolutely fantastic in it, the best work yet I've seen from the actor.

Inevitably, the taciturn and grumpy Backstrom is the film's guiding force, and Lassgard is a delight to watch as ever. The production values are better than ever, and Kjell Sundvall seems to have really grown as a director, crafting a well-polished and exciting thriller in which the stakes are never less than high. Unpredictable, involving, and harrowing, FALSE TRAIL is one to watch.

False Trail is named, and put under the heading, of a thriller. Because of the lack of actually thrilling thrillers, this title didn't mean much to me. But Kjell Sundvall's movie really does as it says on the tin.

In this Swedish sequel, we follow Erik Bäckström, an aging policeman called down to his old home town where a young woman has gone missing. Here we watch a murder case unfold, and are not only confronted with Erik's painful past, but are lead into a deeper, more sinister mystery than we initially imagined.

What first hits you about this movie is the dark, dense setting. Set in the picturesque woods of Norrland Sweden, you're struck by wintry lakes and friendly faces. In the beginning, the characters seem like boring, basically normal people. But when we delve into the mystery, and the first inklings of doubt and suspicion creep in, things begin to escalate, and our opinions change at every twist.

This movie really kept me alive and thinking. Its plot twists were calculated and realistic, and the acting was superb. Peter Stromare's character was fantastically played; everything we once thought we knew about him is warped and distorted until we see the character that he is. Through tongue-in-cheek gore and unprecedented acts of violence, this story will make you jump in your seat and question every motive.

Without giving too much away, notice Sundvall's directing; cutting into the truth like a fly on the wall, and letting the chaos run wild around him, until the characters realise the daunting reality just a step too late. Excellently done. In total, a well thought-through movie that did indeed thrill.

Jägarna 2 was shown as preview at Tampere, Finland this week. Preview was arranged as blind performance. No one in the audience knew what to expect.

The movie by Kjell Sundvall was completely success. The unusual kind of murder mystery surprised with its smooth and natural progress of storyline.

I was shocked by extremely magnificent actor work. Roles suited seamlessly.

To say something constructive I have to mention the use of extraordinary evil. After a set of plot twists killer's character has grown so abundantly wicked that it bugged me at the end of the film.

Not meant to say last, backgrounds of the film were also pleasant to watch. The Nordic nature is always good for the movie.

This movie should not be considered a sequel ,but the second part of the story released fifteen years before .If you are going to enjoy

"Jägarna 2",you have got to see the first effort first.

Even if Erik's brother is absent (and for a good reason) ,his shadows hangs over the whole movie:two brief flashbacks (the two brother's last hug;Leif's singing on the banks of the lake);the CD Erik gives to his nephew.

This is a thriller in disguise:the subject is the reconstruction of a family.Apparently,Peter,his mother Karin (scene of the dinner)and her new companion seem the perfect family.But cracks in the mirror will not be long in coming:Peter's hip is black and blue ,and during the funeral where he is supposed to sing ,a lump comes to his throat and tears flows on his face.

The killer's identity is known well before the ending ,but it does not matter.what's really absorbing is Erik's Relationship with Peter,his remorse "I did not do all that I could to save Leif.I knew our father treated him badly ".Like Torsten is doing with his "son" .Peter is a sensitive self-conscious tormented young man who longs for a father figure ,who wants to know more about this father who disappeared at such an early age in mysterious circumstances ,this father who,like him,loved singing -the second part sheds a new light on him,he was a criminal ,but a victim too.That's why the last sentence is such a relief for the viewer.

I find this second part even better than the first one ,more moving,more endearing .The forest landscapes are superbly filmed ,with an extraordinary sense of space ,and some scenes are so intense that the viewer feels like shouting "no!" ,particularly when Torsten treats Peter as a moving target.

Not to be missed,but definitely after watching the first episode .