or in any real life situation for that matter. I'm a great fan of Branagh, he could read the phone-book with feeling. BUT as the constantly depressed and melancholic detective Karl Wallandar, he begins to grate. Yes, of course it's the direction and the tampering of the writers with the original Swedish version and the excellent series of books but truly, this version has become almost unintelligible in dialogue and so very unintelligent in script.
This Wallander should be committed or incarcerated he is so unbelievably incompetent. In every case. And in every situation. I'm on series 3 and I don't think I've ever been so irritated by a cellphone in real life. The lengthy swooping ring on his, which plays maybe 20 times or more in each episode, is enough to make you switch off. Nobody in this police department has ever heard of setting it to vibrate in tense and deadly situations? Speaking of tense situations this buffoon wanders into every scene without backup or telling his boss where he's going or when he does take a co-worker puts them in immediate mortal danger.
He does a lot of non-vocal staring when conversation is thrown at him. And throwing, he does physical throwing too, once a whole television! Wow! You never see him trim his stubble, it always remains the same length (isn't that hard to do?) And he's incapable of any relationship, father, partner, daughter due to that interminable boring stare.
And driving. A Volvo, which gets shot out a few times but then miraculously appears whole again on the bleak grey roads of Sweden.
He always escapes direct gunfire even in open spaces.
And I haven't mentioned the lack of plot or the bafflement of plot, huge holes left untended. Meaningless clues scattered here, there and everywhere. And graphic, unnecessary scenes of mangled bodies. And no explanation, ever of what you've just invested an hour and a half in.
I can't see it getting better so I'm bailing out after far too many wasted hours of my time.
5 out of 10
This Wallander should be committed or incarcerated he is so unbelievably incompetent. In every case. And in every situation. I'm on series 3 and I don't think I've ever been so irritated by a cellphone in real life. The lengthy swooping ring on his, which plays maybe 20 times or more in each episode, is enough to make you switch off. Nobody in this police department has ever heard of setting it to vibrate in tense and deadly situations? Speaking of tense situations this buffoon wanders into every scene without backup or telling his boss where he's going or when he does take a co-worker puts them in immediate mortal danger.
He does a lot of non-vocal staring when conversation is thrown at him. And throwing, he does physical throwing too, once a whole television! Wow! You never see him trim his stubble, it always remains the same length (isn't that hard to do?) And he's incapable of any relationship, father, partner, daughter due to that interminable boring stare.
And driving. A Volvo, which gets shot out a few times but then miraculously appears whole again on the bleak grey roads of Sweden.
He always escapes direct gunfire even in open spaces.
And I haven't mentioned the lack of plot or the bafflement of plot, huge holes left untended. Meaningless clues scattered here, there and everywhere. And graphic, unnecessary scenes of mangled bodies. And no explanation, ever of what you've just invested an hour and a half in.
I can't see it getting better so I'm bailing out after far too many wasted hours of my time.
5 out of 10