Department Q: The Keeper of Lost Causes (2013)

There really isn't a lot for me to add to what others have commented so far, at least the ones who DID like the movie...

As others have mentioned, the plot and overall story are fairly simple, but at the same time the way it is put together and the way the 2 policemen proceed through the case do indeed draw you into the film and skilfully ratchet up the suspense and tension as the story unfolds. The movie itself is well made and the acting by the two principles works well along with the tone of the film. There ARE other movies like this that I happen to like better, primarily because they were perhaps a bit more stylish and the stories were more complex and intriguing. The movies similar to this that I liked better happened to be foreign films (to me) Both are French. One is the very intriguing 'CRIMSON RIVERS' which has two cops investigating some unusual circumstances involving strange happenings and deaths surrounding a prestigious school. The other is the VERY stylish and slightly Science Fiction flavoured 'CHRYSALIS' which is a very sharp looking film that has some nice twists and turns involving memory and identity. This movie here isn't as stylish and is pretty straight-forward in the sense that they are trying to figure out what really happened to a woman in a five year old suicide case. BUT... the story IS very good and well done though...

Since this is clearly the first in what likely will be a series of films featuring these two policemen working old cases (cold cases?) it sets the stage well in letting us get to know more about them and particularly why the more unfriendly cop is the way he is. What I appreciated about this movie was that they didn't overdo the characterizations like they easily could have done. They gave the main cop just the right tone of disaffection and dourness, but they didn't try to slam you over the head with it. What I also liked about this movie was that although it did present some uncomfortable situations (well, ONE, primarily), it wisely kept those elements restrained and didn't push it like so many do nowadays so freely and quite gleefully. For THAT I am thankful because I personally do NOT at all enjoy elements in films that glorify or greatly emphasize people's sadistic cruelty to others. Just not my thing... Make no mistake though, there IS a bit of that here, but being that I don't usually care for things like that, I felt that they kept an effective balance in depicting it.

I'm thinking that future films with these two characters will likely be even better because now the stage is set and they will probably be able to do a lot more with the stories and the characters as time goes on.

I would recommend this film IF you like slow burners that are not particularly flashy, but if you like ones that DO have a pretty good palpable sense of tension and suspense as the story unfolds. If you don't expect it to be TOO detailed or complex and you can just sit back and enjoy a good Police Procedural, you should find this one pretty entertaining.

Fmovies: I think it's fair to say that THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES is Denmark's answer to THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO; it has much in common with the look, style, and feel of the Steig Larsson adaptation, although the narrative is more simplistic and straightforward as befits a shorter film. Once again the story is a mix of crime grittiness, nasty unpleasantness, historical events impacting on the present, and some dogged detectives refusing to give up on a cold case.

The methods of the killer in this film are quite terrifying from a psychological perspective, adding a sheen of unique horror to the movie which comes as an unexpected surprise. Although the subject matter is depressing the film is never so, because the production values are excellent and the cinematography particularly strong. The main characters aren't particularly likable, they're too gruff for that, but they are realistic, which is what counts. Although I'm not a huge fan of Scandinavian crime stories, even I enjoyed this well-paced and engrossing tale.

Scandinavian detective films is a sign of international quality, especially for those who think that stories can be catchy without constant chases-shootings and without a thin line between law machinery and criminals. Kvinden i buret is a nice and solid example such films, plus talented character actors in leading roles - a Dane Nikolaj Lie Kaas and an Assyrian from Sweden Fares Fares (by the way, speaking tolerable Danish). Multidimensional plot provides additional tensions and you start to ponder who and why, the outcome is logical, although the wrongdoer's person and motives were revealed a bit too early. The film includes several clichés as well (for example, injudicious boss vs. solitary pigheaded detective, bickers between partners), but they are not annoying, enabling to unfold the characters and justify certain deeds.

All in all, a nice film, and first in the line of films (to be) made on the basis of Jussi Adler-Olsen's novels. I am looking forward to see them all.

Department Q: The Keeper of Lost Causes fmovies. The latest in a long (endless?) line of fine Scandinavian police thrillers, The Keeper of Lost Causes (Kvinden I buret to give it its Danish title) is a taut, thrilling cop drama that compels and seizes the interest for the duration of its 97 minute running time.

In the aftermath of an ill-fated mission that leaves one colleague dead and another seriously injured, police inspector Carl Mørck (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) is bumped from his department and tasked with setting up Department Q, a dead-end desk job that requires him to spend the next few years ensconced in a dusty basement with a new partner, Assad (Fares Fares), tying up the loose ends on old cases. Instructed to close three cases per week, Mørck and Assad begin with the investigation of a politician, Merete Lynggaard (Sonja Richter) who disappeared five years previously. Written off as a suicide, Mørck is determined to prove there is more to the case and delves into a murky case of abuse, murder and kidnapping.

With both Kaas and Richter alumni of the original series of The Killing, and Fares a star of both Easy Money and Zero Dark Thirty, the central trio makes for a very solid human triptych, even if displayed as separate components (he wrote carefully, determined not to lead or hint or give anything away). The relationship between Mørck and Assad, particularly, is a sufficient variation of the 'cop buddies' partnership to make it feel new. Both policemen have their foibles, their differences and their similarities; Mørck is out of favour, Assad has been trusted with something vaguely resembling a promotion, Mørck is silent and brooding, Assad celebrates his new found 'freedom' with ear-bleeding music, Mørck is a battering ram, Assad invests time to achieve his results…

As an aside, The Keeper of Lost Causes succeeds magnificently in portraying a Muslim character in a positive light in a film that isn't about that issue. Assad could be anyone; he just happens to be a Muslim.

Though The Keeper of Lost Causes will invariably be compared to The Killing, it is closer in tone to the thoughtfulness of Wallander and the cynicism of French series Spiral and is spiced with the dark violence of Larsson's Millennium trilogy. There is humour within the gloomy folds of this thriller but it is cold and cynical as befits a yarn of kidnap and murder.

I saw much of the outcome in the first fifteen minutes of The Keeper of Lost Causes but it was a still an electrifying journey that has a great deal to celebrate, not least of all a sublime accident sequence. Think 'ballet with cars' and you're getting close.

Like all good thrillers, The Keeper of Lost Causes works on the terror factor that it could happen. We don't tend to believe in zombies and vampires, although I'm up for a short-term zombocalypse armed with a crossbow and a katana, but humans with a vindictive streak and a penchant for malevolent revenge? Yep, they're far too real to ignore.

The Keeper of Lost Causes is a rare treat for another reason: it clearly sets itself up for a sequel and director Mikkel Nørgaard has duly obliged with the second adaptation of author Juss Adler-Olsen's novels, The Absent One (Fasandræberne), released in Denmark this autumn.

Roll on the end of the summer!

For more reviews from The Squiss, subscribe to my blog and like the Facebook page.

Slow moving detective movie but I like it like that.No excessive reading of words in another language because the film speaks for itself. The director has created a very entertaining atmosphere. You develop a feel for the investigation. The editing is tight. Nothing is wasted. The homicide detective gets demoted to cold case files. He picks up one that speaks to him. A suicide that after digging does not come close to a suicide and no body. Going deeper in, nothing is easy or as it seems. As you move along the story unfolds in tidbits and gets darker and darker. Man sinks about as low as a human twisted can go. I don't want to give away any of the ending but with lackluster uncommon in Hollywood style movie making it's riveting. I enjoyed this gem immensely.

If you like a cop thriller as much as I do, you are in the right place. I haven't read the book this is based on, but obviously and judging from what I saw in the movie, it must be good. There are more books (and it is obvious from the movie/story), so you might be getting even more from this (at least one other output is coming).

The acting is really good (even if it feels a bit moody and broody at times) and the story is even better. There are more things here to judge than just some bad guys, with even the cop having his flaws (transparent from the beginning). We also get nice touches (the coffee thing) to elevate the watching experience. An all around good take on a criminal story