A Conspiracy of Faith

The third installment of Olsen’s series has the best film adaptation so far. I tried to watch the film as if I hadn't read the book. I enjoyed a quality crime thriller set in a community of religious fanatics with a grim atmosphere and a convincing villain. Nikolaj Lie Kaas as Detective Morck was absolutely brilliant. His rendition of a man whose life treats him like shit every single day was simply perfect. Even though I knew how the film was going to end from the book, I got a proper dose of suspense. I'm looking forward to Journal 64. (22/08/2016)

A Conspiracy of Faith is a film of two completely different parts. I don't know if they are equally long, because subjectively the exposition of the story seemed too slow and about as exciting and captivating as a Christian documentary. The movie theater screen should help the film, but somehow I hesitated and thought that a television screen would be more than enough for this. But then came the scene where the ransom for the kidnapped siblings is supposed to be handed over on the train, and suddenly it looks as if a cyclist staggering somewhere at the tail end of the peloton realizes that he doesn't want to stay last and gives it his all. The dynamics change incredibly and suddenly you understand what the magic and global success of Scandinavian crime is all about. You have a jam-packed spectacle that does not spare any blood or shocking twists, and it engulfs you completely. But when the end credits start, you begin to think and certain doubts arise about the errors in logic that you didn't notice before. It's somewhere between 3 and 4 stars, but in the case of such highly-rated films, I usually choose a lower rating. The acting is decent and the subject matter is also unconventional, but the mistakes are simply noticeable. Overall impression: 65%. (05/07/2016)

The routine and unsurprising first half suddenly changed into something more brutal, suspenseful and dark, which is very satisfying. The villain is decent, like a weaker Edward Norton, but he cannot hold a candle to the beastly duo from the second part. The third part doesn’t match the complexity of the second (The Absent One) or the overall quality of the first (The Keeper of Lost Causes), but it remains a well-crafted genre film. (27/06/2016)

Nikolaj Lie Kaas was a truly excellent choice for the main role because his grim face and minimalism go well with a character that you're not sure whether is brilliant or simply unsure. There are certain inconsistencies or rather unnecessary elements in the film, which were taken from the book to avoid further trimming - for example, the "mistress" of the killer doesn't have much justification in the film. Nevertheless, it is still an excellent thriller that will send chills down your spine. (03/06/2016)

I intentionally watch the movie adaptations of Jussie Adler-Olsen’s novels on TV. There are so many Scandinavian crime movies that it is quite nice to make things easier with some movie series. And with this one, I always had to get used to the main characters in the beginning, so that I could really enjoy the story afterward. But here, it is a little more complicated. Here, Carl Mørck actually looks as if he had a pineapple up his ass during the whole movie and he drops a solid piece of wisdom at the end of the whole film. Assad at least expresses a few emotions and his character salvages a lot. Fortunately, the movie has a very decent atmosphere and an absolutely ultimate psychopath in the form of Pål Sverre Hagen so you can be sure that each of you will find certain moments interesting. But overall, I was disappointed. I put the movie on about 5 times and I truly finished it only on my 5th try. I don’t know a beginning of a Scandinavian crime movie more lukewarm than this one. (27/07/2017)