morrison-dylan-fan 2012:After seeing the pulp thrill ride adaptation of Jo Nesbo's Headhunters,I saw a BBC doc on Nordic Noir that showed intriguing clips of a non-Nesbo adaption. While not being able to find the film anywhere,I was able to open the descriptive,hard-boiled original novel by Arnaldur Indridason.2017:Coming up to 1,500 reviews,I began looking for films I've been wanting to see for years,and after again looking at Amazon UK,I finally got the chance to open the jar.The plot:Sent out to investigate the murder of Holberg Jónsson,worn-down detective Erlendur finds the killer to have left everything as it was. Emptying all the shelves and draws, Erlendur finds taped to the back of one a photo of a grave. Locating the grave, Erlendur begins to learn of a murder that took place thirty years ago,and the trio of friends Jónsson was with. As he starts investigating the links from decades ago, Erlendur starts mapping out the genetics which have laid in the dark heart of the town for decades. View on the film:Adapting Indriðason's novel two years before they would join up to make the slick (non-adaptation) Reykjavik-Rotterdam/Contraband, the screenplay by Baltasar Kormákur is incredibly compact,with Erlendur unearthing the origins of the photo in exciting investigation scenes,which also open the jar to Nordic Noir's major themes of corruption in the local community and government projects being linked to dirty deals. Unearthing the mystery at lightning speed, Kormákur makes the Noir mystery gripping hard-nosed,but also gives the title an air of needing an extra 30 mins,with the brittle,Noir loner relationship between Erlendur only being given a rough outline to what it could fully offer.Sharply contrasting the smooth style they gave to Reykjavik- Rotterdam, Kormákur & cinematographer Bergsteinn Björgúlfsson give Erlendur's photos an ultra-stylised rawness that shoves dirt under Nordic Noir nails,via superb over-saturated colours covering the murder scenes in dour, grisly chemical yellows and blood reds,which are smashed against crane shots panning over the corruption which has covered the town. Cracking open jars to the town secrets, Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson smokes Erlendur with a brilliant,grubby performance that rages from Erlendur giving all a stiff cold shoulder,who try to stop him opening the jar city.

Tweekums As this film opens we see Örn, a father, singing a lullaby to Kola, his dying young daughter, in hospital; we then see two boys entering a house where they find a body. The man is named Holberg and the only obvious lead is a photograph of the grave of another young girl; this one who died in 1974. Erlendur is the police officer in charge of discovering who killed Holberg and before the case is solved he will have to discover what happened in 1974; as he does so he will come across police corruption, an old undiscovered murder and a possible rape where the victim is unknown. It will also take him to 'Jar City' the storage place for preserved body parts where the evidence linking the deaths of the two girls is to be found… they may have died of natural causes but that doesn't stop it being a motive for murder.If you are looking for something jolly then this isn't for you; the case is as bleak as the harsh winter scenery. It is still an entertaining story that should keep fans of Scandinavian mysteries happy. Ingvar Sigurðsson does a fine job as the downbeat Erlendur; a character who is tougher than he looks and has a taste for sheep's heads! As is often the case there is more to the story than the mystery; all cops these days seem to have difficult home lives and Erlendur is no exception; he has problems with his daughter who has an unstable life to say the least

blujus This is a well made, enjoyable crime thriller that manages to sustain tension and interest throughout its run time and marries this with some well handled comic moments. The main character, Erlunder, is a multi-layered and believable, ageing, seen-it-all-before cop, while the scenes involving discovery of dead bodies are skin-crawlingly well acted and nauseously realistic.However, given the kind of budgets and talent available to producers of TV crime series these days, Jar City suffers from the fact that the plot really could form an episode of CSI:Rejkjavik or, dare I say it Taggart (a old British crime series). There are no huge surprises or twists in the tail - it is, essentially, a standard, old fashioned who/why dunnit.However, what sets Jar City apart from CSI and its ilk is the cinematography. Obviously I've seen images of Iceland before - but I've never seen it captured in such a bleak, but beautiful fashion. Iceland itself is centrally important to the character of this film (and might even be said to be one of the characters) and its strangely picturesque scenery and, in some cases, downright weirdness, make Jar City worth watching just for this alone.

stefarn-1 Having read all of Arnaldur Indriðason's novels, I was very pleased when I heard that Baltasar Kormákur was planning to make this film. The press immediately started a sort of a Scarlett O'Hara search, in terms of finding an actor capable of portraying detective inspector Erlendur. When Ingvar Sigurðsson was finally chosen, I must admit that I wasn't that keen, as I felt that he was not at all the right type. Having seen the film now I must admit that I need not have worried. Ingvar Sigurðsson's portrayal of Erlendur is first class throughout, both the bitter and tender aspects of that complex character. All the cast is indeed great, most notable though Atli Rafn Sigurðsson as the grieving father, Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir as Eva Lind, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson and Ólafía Hrönn Jónsdóttir, as Erlendur's associates Sigurður Óli and Elínborg, and Theódór Júlíusson as the veteran hooligan Elliði. The cinematography is the best I've seen in any Icelandic film, the editing "par excellence", and the music extremely powerful. One has to give credit to the Reykjavik Police Choir, for the excellent singing. This is a film that everyone has to see, and I'm quite certain that it will scoop up quite a few awards at various film festivals. Keep on at it Baltasar. And hopefully you will bring other novels by Arnaldur Indriðason, such as Grafarþögn and Röddin to the silver screen.