The Keeper of Lost Causes

  • English Department Q: The Keeper of Lost Causes (more)
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Following a shootout that left his two partners respectively dead and paralyzed, chief detective Carl Mørck (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) is assigned to the newly established Department Q, a department for old, terminated cases. The department consists only of himself and his new assistant Assad (Fares Fares). Although they get explicit orders to only read and sort through the cases, only a single day passes before Carl's stubborn nature throws them headfirst into the mystery of Merete Lynggaard's disappearance; a well-known female politician who vanished five years ago from a passenger ferry. The only witness is her brain-damaged brother who was found on the car deck, screaming at the top of his lungs. The case was put to rest as an apparent suicide. Unconvinced by this explanation Carl and Assad venture on a journey that will take them deep into the undercurrent of abuse and malice that lurks beneath the polished surface of Scandinavia. (4DVD)

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Reviews (7)

POMO 

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English A screenplay for a decent TV detective film adapted to the big screen by adding attractive visuals and a stellar cast. However, the film is merely average due to the absence of moments of surprise, its simple story and the presence of genre clichés. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was more sophisticated and multilayered. ()

3DD!3 

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English An excellent crime drama that doesn't try to throw in unnecessary twists and turns and instead goes purely for its goal, focusing on a very strong emotional conclusion. Lie Kaas is solid, unemotional, I'm not used to him in such a role. It feels a bit like a pilot to a series, and why not, I'm quite curious about the other Department Q cases. ()

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kaylin 

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English If I had seen the movie first and probably didn't know anything about the book, it wouldn't captivate me that much. I could easily imagine this as a very good introduction to a TV series. The plot is simple but well structured, the characters are interesting and definitely not boring, but as a start to a film series, it didn't seem that strong to me. Good, but not exceptional. ()

Malarkey 

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English I feel like once you fall in love with Scandinavian crime investigation movies, that love never fades away. That’s why it makes me so happy that out of the whole range of books I’ll never manage to read, there’s one that the Scandinavians decided to make into a movie. I didn’t yet manage to get through the Department Q series from Olsen, but The Keeper of LostCauses grabbed my attention at first glance. It was worse when I started watching the movie – it took me about half an hour to get used to Carl. His character was very bland and wishy-washy, but Assad made up for it as his character was likeable from the very beginning. But eventually, I got used to both of them as investigators and what really helped was the story itself, which was outright flawless. The ending was a bit unfinished and half-assed, but I have to give it at least four stars just out of the excitement and joy that the Scandinavians decided to shoot such a movie. ()

Remedy 

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English Another terrific Nordic mystery that feels rather more intimate (e.g. when compared to the Millennium trilogy), but overall an excellent opening to the loose Department Q cold case series. A great main duo that, while fulfilling perhaps every possible genre schema/cliché (the formerly successful, now downgraded investigator with a tendency to alcoholism and the ad hoc assigned partner who comes across as a perfect wimp at first); on the other hand, is one of the supporting elements of the whole narrative and I'm very curious to see the evolution of the two main characters in the next installments. ()

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