The Investigation (2020) User Reviews

Slow, gripping burn

[bmann-67049 · 9/10 · 7 January 2021]

I have watched just about everything that comes out of the Nordic and Baltic countries and this offering is certainly up there. It won't appeal to everyone because it cruises along in first gear for all 6 episodes. Not that this is an issue. It is well shot with incredibly understated emotion and subtle tension added to by excellent performances from the actors. It's the realism and the complete lack of Hollywood formula that I loved. Worth a binge!

Excellent drama made with the help of the victims parents

[rhett-p · 9/10 · 21 December 2020]

After all the sensational headlines revolving around this case, this drama brings the focus back on those dealing with the aftermath of a brutal crime by focusing on both the parents of the victim, and the investigators doing the work of making sure the perpetrator (who very tellingly gets no screen time or mention by name) will spend the rest of their life in prison.

Top-notch acting, cinematography, and the usual subdued approach of these scandi-dramas makes for a very bingeable limited series. Really enjoyed this one.

Simpelt brilliant

[allanbkchristensen · 9/10 · 6 February 2021]

This is how it's done. A real investigation does not happen in the pace as portrayed in other series like CSI. This series is respectfully based on the actual events around Kim Walls Murder and the investigation of it. Due to the respect of Kim Wall and her family this series does not portray the killer or mention him by name. In fact Jens Møller (the investigator brilliantly portrayed by Søren Malling) never met the killer during the investigation or after it. This series is almost shot through his eyes.

This is how it's done

[lisbethinsydney · 10/10 · 4 January 2021]

Essential viewing, pure and simple. Strong, patient progress through an excruciatingly difficult puzzle, a real-life police investigation that becomes a test of mental and physical strength for all involved. No glitz, no melodrama, no grandstanding. The accused is never seen. The details of the sea search are fascinating and well explained, carried out by men who will not give up. The acting is quiet and real. We connect with the characters and can sense their thoughts and feelings, often without them having to say anything. When the breakthrough finally comes, it's extremely heartening to see who makes the connection. Featuring some familiar faces from other Nordic Noir series including the always-watchable Pilou Asbaek and Soren Malling. Even the dogs make their contribution to the powerful emotional pull. I cannot praise this highly enough.

Truth is stranger than fiction in this Danish real crime drama

[Tweekums · 10/10 · 5 February 2021]

In the summer of 2017 Jens Møller, head of the Copenhagen Homicide unit, is called in when a privately built submarine sinks. The builder of the craft survives but there is no sign of Swedish journalist, Kim Wall, who was also on board. At first the maker claims he put there ashore before the accident but there is no sign on CCTV. When the sub is recovered he changes his story; now he claims that she died when she hit her head on a hatch and he 'buried her at sea'. Without her body it will be hard to charge him with murder. Divers and cadaver dogs are used in an attempt to find the body but the operation will be far from easy as there is a huge area of water to search.

If this plot had been suggested as part of a 'Midsumer Murders' story it would have been rejected as far to unlikely... however it actually happened; making the news well beyond Denmark and Sweden. The story is told from the point of view of the investigators; we never see the builder of the submarine; in fact he is never referred to by name... after what we learn about of him he doesn't deserve to be remembered. The story is taut even though the final resolution will be known to anybody who watched the news concerning the case; as the search lasts months one wonders if the vital evidence will ever be found. The cast, which features many familiar faces does a fantastic job playing the characters in a no-nonsense way. Overall I'd certainly recommend this; it might not be fast paced but I found it gripping.

These comments are based on watching the series in Danish with English subtitles.

Fantastic

[LauraAnnG · 2 May 2021]

When I started watching this thanks to the Comcast Watchathon, I had no idea it was based on a real investigation.

I didn't know about Kim Wall and in a way my pathetic ignorance was a blessing as I really had no idea how this was going to end. All the successive twists and turns were at times excruciating. They were also fascinating as the plot unfolds and resources are developed, so very slowly, that become critical in the solving of this murder.

I am a huge fan of Scandinavian TV and so have no problem with the subtitles. I realize they may not be everyone's cuppa.

This series is slow and laborious. I suspect it more reflects actual police work than many American shows.

The actors are recognizable from other Danish/etc. Series and Malling especially stands out as simply exceptional. But all the actors are wonderful.

It is interesting that we never see the accused. I actually liked that. I live in a state where there have been mass shootings very close to home, and I hate even hearing the names of those murderers. In real life, they deserve to be not seen. Not heard from.

I loved this. I am so glad I got a chance to watch it. I recommend it.

A story ( a real one ) told in at it's own pace

[jmccrmck-65172 · 7/10 · 30 March 2021]

The story draws you in from the very first moments of this series and it is subtle , understated and and in a strange way so compelling. I can't say I have ever seen anything like it. What I especially liked is how the acting and direction are so matter of fact, the opposite of what a stage production would feel like. Soren Malling , as lead investigator ,Malling is almost uncanny in the way he acts in this role. No visible expression on his face and still manages to emit so much emotion on screen, namely frustration and anxiety in the desperate measures, without results he is pursuing in the 'Investigation' . Most American audiences will find it doesn't move fast enough but that is exactly what makes this series so entertaining to watch. Ten minutes is enough to know whether you will like it. To me it was realistic , the characters more believable than most anything you will see on ' Tee Vee '

Dump the negative reviews, this is special.

[pigsmiceandmen · 10/10 · 7 December 2020]

Funny when you see the reviews who gave this low marks. All there reviews are the same. Maybe this show is a bit hi level for them. This is a tragic true story, told to every detail of the case, and nothing has been added for the sake of cheap entertainment. How these officers solved this case is really a testament to hard work, science, and the public. Not once is the accused's name mentioned, and he never appears in the show. Very smart and a worthy nod to the victim. The cast are of the highest standard and some major players have taken smaller roles to be a part of this incredible story.

This would never get made in the US and I'm OK with that.

[fiona_r_lamb · 7/10 · 26 March 2022]

So, I have so much to say about this strange 6 part series. Many reviewers have dismissed it as boring and slow etc. And it really is slow. But not boring. I almost gave up after the second episode but I kept going and I am still thinking about it having finished it days ago.

I love Scandi tv/film. And I recognised many of the actors - from The Killing, Borgen, Seaside Hotel, The Hunt, etc. And I can even understand a lot of Danish now because I've watched so many Danish dramas. I thought the acting was pretty good. I realize the topic was very serious and depressing but the lead actor did not ONCE crack a smile even when he was holding his new grandson at the very end. I get the gravitas I do but he seemed a little one-dimensional.

I kept wishing it would hurry up. Then the diving scenes and the use of the cadaver dogs really intrigued me and sucked me back in.

I like they didn't mention the accused by name at all. I guess that's because the victim's parents wanted it that way, which I totally understand. BUT it did feel strange perhaps because we are all so used to the perp getting most of the attention - esp. In US dramas. But I liked the fact he didn't get interviewed or seen or anything. I hope he watched this in prison and got really pissed off. So, seeing this through the eyes of the detectives and the exhausting boring tedious stuff they have to wade through day after day was actually, in the end, quite fascinating. A totally different way of seeing police crime dramas.

I actually cried a few times - when the little girl gives Kim's Mum flowers and you see the queue of neighbours waiting with their flowers. Usually in crime dramas the families are pushed to the side and ignored, but not this time. This was important - it really made you understand that this beautiful young woman who was cruelly killed, dismembered and tossed away was their beloved daughter and child. And a promising career in journalism was cut short. Chilling!!! Altho' as another reviewer mentioned it was strange that Kim's boyfriend was not really talked about or seen or anything - but then again perhaps he wanted it that way?

Not seeing anyone's photo on the wall was very odd. Hardly any visuals. And I got a bit fed up of all the scenes of the police Chief in his car talking on his phone. And I got fed up with the diving Chief bitching about having nothing to go on, etc. And also fed up with the forensics Chief bitching too. I also think it's strange we saw none of the forensic people doing their job, we just heard about their reports. No court scenes either. Also the press scenes outside the police building were really odd - none of the press were asking questions or shouting like you see in other dramas. There was a lot of repetition but I think this was deliberate too - we were being shown a more realistic view of detective work.

Here's what I really didn't understand. How can the accused be allowed to change his story so many times - I've never seen this before. Is this something peculiar to Danish law? Also, they kept saying he could get away with it all if they couldn't prove cause of death - but the fact remained he did chop up her body and throw it away, doesn't that mean anything?????

All in all it wasn't as riveting as I wished it would be, but it did just enough to keep my attention. I had heard of the submarine story in the news but I did not follow it through and as such did not know what happened in the end. Now I do and I'm glad her parents got to do this the way they wanted and the scene where Kim's Mum talks to the school students was really touching.

Brilliant heartbreaking drama.

[handcrafted · 10/10 · 5 February 2021]

What can I say ... what dogged determination of the investigating police officers to get the truth.....uncompromising and giving up so much of their own family time to pursue no matter what the cost. A fitting tribute to Kim Wall and her parents .... the patience of all the deep sea divers and the technical help they got from Sweden to get to the truth under such difficult circumstances...it dealt so real ... brilliant but tragic.

An Insight to a complicated investergation

[mmuggi · 7/10 · 6 November 2020]

The investergation provides a complicated insight into a genuine case that is relatively new. This is also something that the series has been criticized in the media. The series is made in collaboration with those involved, which is why the name of the perpetrator is also never mentioned, as he does not deserve that credit.

The series takes place at a very slow pace, and it also does not have the advantage of the tension around whether the killer will be imprisoned, because you know he does. Likewise, the plot around Jens Møller (Søren Malling)'s daughter is not the best plot either, as it drags the series in the long run, and is not as interesting as the main plot. That said, I think the series is justified, not as a thriller, but as a pseudo-documentary.

A wonderful true story

[kimmgould · 9/10 · 4 January 2021]

I didn't realise when I started watching this that it was a true story. I thought it was so well done. It was slow, but I enjoyed the pace, it seemed to reflect the snails pace of the investigation. They had so little to go on, and were so persistent and relentless, refusing to give up on getting justice. I enjoyed watching how all the various teams, divers, forensics, detectives, prosecutor, just keep going, edging closer to the truth. An awful, tragic crime and so many people caring deeply about the outcome.

Also, the music is wonderful.

Half the story

[paul2001sw-1 · 6/10 · 7 February 2021]

Peter Madsen was a modern day Raskolnikov (but without the subsequent remorse), who build a submarine and killed a woman in it, it seems just to demonstrate that he could. 'The Investigation' dramatises the police investigation that put together the evidence to secure his conviction. As the series presents it, the standard of proof required by the Danish legal system was very high, but the story of how it was met doesn't necessarily make for great drama. We see two types of investigators in this tale; those who willingly sacrifice their private lives to get the job done, and those who moan endlessly about having to do so at the behest of the others. What we don't see are any courtroom scenes, or even any interviews with the accused. Perhaps the writers didn't want to glamourise him, but it's an odd choice, instead we are repeatedly told he has said something off camera which is both demonstrably false but which will nonetheless be of no help in convicting him. Our heroes are thus left fighting an invisible adversary, and one who, though utterly monstrous, might have been more interesting to watch than our ordinary middle class protagonists. Usually I dislike murder stories that emphasise the evil of the killer; but without first-hand representation of Madsen's personality, 'The Investigation' can only tell us half the story.

Should Be Named Pensively Staring Off Into the Distance

[wakeupnsmelltheroses · 3/10 · 3 February 2021]

This 6-part series could easily have been told in 2-parts without a single loss of anything important.

First, you ditch the entire "my daughter doesn't understand why my job is more important than her life" subplot - that saves you one episode.

Second, you cut back on the innumerable "let's watch the ships go out of the harbor: shots - that saves you two episodes.

Third, you eliminate 97% of the shots of someone walking down that boring, bland hallway and 99% of the shots of the chief detective driving in and out of the parking garage and all of the shots of the inspector sitting in his car outside forensics and all the shots of the inspector staring out his office window and the repeated shots of the whiteboard that says the same things over and over and over and then you trim the visits to parents back to just a couple of times. A tight edit of these repeating images would save you another episode.

Now, you're down to a 2-episode arc that tells the core portions of the investigation, discusses the Danish legal system that lets a defendant endlessly change his story without any penalty in terms of guilt, and you end with the uplifting funds established to promote journalism.

Bringing this series in at 2 - or the most 3 - episodes would have much better result in getting people to watch this series and understand the story. As it is - if people actually get to the 4th episode, I'd put money that most are fast forwarding through all the endless shots of leaving the harbor, staring out the window, sitting in the car, arguing with the daughter, walking the dogs, etc.

Brilliant

[jacob-thorsted · 10/10 · 25 October 2020]

Strong and well played throughout. Søren Malling is in his best role and it is typically Danish underplay performed so that the audience gets a strong connection to the actors.

Outstanding

[crumpytv · 10/10 · 7 February 2021]

There was nothing to suggest this was a docu-drama, so I watched this not knowing that it was a true story until the end. They say truth is stranger than fiction and this proved to be the case in what seemed a slightly bizarre case. For all that it was absolutely riveting. The cast is quite exceptional, pulling together personnel from Borgen, Mammon, Wallander, The Legacy, Dicte, Follow the Money, Norskov among other Nordic dramas. The episodes about the cadaver dogs and sea-current experts were really interesting and absorbing. A very long and painstaking investigation which seemed on so many occasions to have led down a blind alley finally yield results, thanks to patience and conscientious work by all those concerned. The Danes have become masters of the Nordic Noir and with such brilliant writing it also go to show that a drama does not have to contain graphic images in morgues or liberal profanities throughout. This is very understated with compelling performances, particularly by Søren Malling as Lars, whos dedication to the case compromised his relationship with his daughter, the only sub-plot.

Excellent procedural from Denmark

[dbonn2240 · 20 January 2021]

THE INVESTIGATION is very nearly a pure procedural, with only brief nods given to investigators' lives outside of the 'submarine case' as it was dubbed. This is a welcome respite from the overloaded backstories & unnecessary relationship-centered plot points that regularly pop up in this genre. The cast is excellent from top to bottom, the direction is suitably straightforward but far from boring, & the pacing is just about ideal for the runtime of the series. If you like proceduralss (& whether you're aware of the real-life story or not) this is worth your time.

It Was Just About OK, But Slow, Slow and Stop!

[martimusross · 6/10 · 4 February 2021]

The Investigation

In the style of Zola we had a forensic examination of Nordic Noir, many of the key formulaic drivers of this genre were removed. We had no profile of the suspect or the victim, we were shown nothing beyond what the police saw or were investigating. This was a stylistic choice.

We ended up unsurprisingly with an acted out documentary that was slow, dry and humourless.

The investigation as it progressed was quite brilliantly portrayed but it was quite predictable and went exactly how we expected it to progress.

Some things really irritated, the overly blank expressions, the humanistic elements being the victims parents and the inspectors family. Look, you just cannot have a demanding daughter as a character, the inspector was on his 138 murder, it was his whole life, the investigation ends and then he is back. This really was an absurd story line.

I hated the music and the whole thing was just depressing. I'm giving this a weak 6/10, it's certainly not everyone's cup of tea due to the pace of delivery.

Justice doesn't come easily or quickly

[alexfalconer-11900 · 9/10 · 1 January 2021]

It was interesting to see Pilou Asbaek in the prosecutor's chair for The Investigation; in the recent film 'A War' he was cast in the role of the accused. Soren Malling was also in 'A War', as Asbaek's character's defense lawyer, but in The Investigation he's the main character, Jens Moller. Moller's character type will be familiar to fans of police procedurals - he's the hardworking detective with troubles at home. What distinguishes The Investigation from lesser series in the genre, however, is its eschewal of graphic violence and unlikely or fantastic plot developments. The latter can perhaps be explained by the series being a representation of a true story so strange and unique that no over-writing is necessary. The quality of the writing is exemplified when Moller lets down his daughter to attend a calll-out to the pathology lab. While waiting on a bench outside the lab with his junior female partner, she falls asleep on his shoulder, and in that simple moment we see that he is providing the support to her that his daughter needs from him. We are also shown his professional values in the contrasting way he deals with reporters seeking news on the case, and Kim Wall's parents. He promises them all that they'll be the first to know if he has any news, but he only delivers on that promise to the parents. We sense that he has his priorities right. The Investigation's biggest strength is in showing the immense effort that goes in to achieving justice when a murder is committed. Without that effort, justice can't be achieved, and so it is a reminder that justice doesn't come cheaply. But surely that's the way it should be if we're to value human life appropriately.

A lot less than it appears, which is too bad

[cellmaker · 6/10 · 24 June 2021]

This series almost collapses under the weight of its own seriousness, and nothing would have been lost by chopping the repetitive "it's not enough -- find out more" scenes down to an artful few. The obviously very competent actors have little to work with except to be consistently grim, but they soldier on. And on. And on. It's not hard to see why our protagonist, the chief detective, has ruined all his past important relationships through neglect while he obsesses over his cases. Except that he apparently has lots of time for skeet shooting and birding. (But not for his child, either past or present.)

Sadly, and fairly absurdly, the breakthrough detective moment reveals things that were already known and/or obvious. These were not "aha!" revelations. They rather suggest these are dogged but not very bright people.

This is a show you watch and want to like, but it's clearly more important as a Danish true-life drama than as a piece of gripping television. If you want a really engaging Danish show, go back to 2007's Forbrydelsen.

Real story with real characters.

[papagato39 · 8/10 · 27 January 2021]

This is brilliant, one of the best crime series I've seen in a long while. The characters are real, believable and sympathetic. Nothing too showy and no prima donnas. Educational too. I don't normally binge-watch but this was compelling.

Slow

[orkneyislander · 6/10 · 11 February 2021]

I vaguely recalled the case as it had made international news at the time, so was interested in watching the series. Whilst the portrayal of the investigation was no doubt close to what happened along with the legal obstacles the investigating team had to overcome, it made for slow and at times repetitive scenes. The dour wooden countenances of the teams involved along with the dreary musical background didn't help. Even their successes along the way of the investigation failed to raise the faintest smile from them. Even the supporting forensic and dive team leaders came across as reluctant to go further than was absolutely required. I can maybe understand why the family may have not wanted the name of the accused mentioned, but the series would have been less frustrating if at least one scene had depicted an interview with the invisible un named suspect. A 'pre-incident' scene including the victim would also have helped give more depth and connectivity to the series. Adding these scenes instead of the sub plot of the (to my mind) self centered daughter of the chief investigator would have been an improvement.

Well worth a look

[worsdell-kerron-a · 9/10 · 5 January 2021]

Really enjoyed this. Illustrates the challenges of obtaining a conviction and rigour needed to even induct a suspect. Was even more impactful because it was a real story. Portrays the impact of a gruelling investigation like this on everyone involved.

Not so sure.

[philipfoxe · 6/10 · 12 February 2021]

I tend to avoid 10/10 reviews as they are in my opinion planted puff pieces or by people without critical faculties. This series is absorbing and the deliberate glacial pace gives a hint of the exhaustive nature of the true investigation. Two thing come to mind. Firstly, did the media interest lead to resources being allocated to this investigation at the expense of others? Also the character of Jens was a little disturbing. His seeming inability to relate to people hinted at possible autistic spectrum characteristics. He takes phone calls at any time or circumstance to the chagrin of anyone with him. His obsession with the dead precludes any meaningful connection with the living. Instead of waiting for a phone call he prefers to wait all night in person, missing important family events even though he's been told there won't be a result till morning. I would have welcomed a little more explanation of the prosecution case and the accused's explanation. How does stabbing a corpse 17 times, dismembering it, and throwing into the sea save the parent's pain, as he said? Worth watching though.

Painfully slow

[andrew-76781 · 5/10 · 21 December 2020]

So slow it felt like real time. Strangely emotionless and plodding reenactment of the investigation. Had a scant knowledge of the case from news articles at the time and feel none the wiser about what happened.