Disc Reviews

Crimes Of Passion Review

• 6th Oct 2014

Crimes of Passion is a series of six feature length crime films, based on the early novels by Swedish Crime novelist Maria Lane, written in the lat 1940s early 1950s.

The series features six different murder stories in which we see three friends (a married couple and a policeman) Puck, Eje and Christer set out to solve the mystery of the murders.

The first story, Death of a Loved one has strong echoes of Agatha Christie and one character even remarks that the situation they find themselves in is very similar to Ten Little Indians. A group of people trapped on an island with no means of communication with the mainland, except by boat which is now out of action. But who is the murderer and how will our main heros solve this case? In King Lily of The Valley, we see a bride to be murdered on the eve of her wedding, every suspect has a reason to lie and try to through Christer off the scent. We also see the doubts in Puck’s mid about her marriage and her future. Its dark intrigue did hold me throughout. No More Murders is a close contender for favorite, with illicit love affairs, revenge killings and plenty of murder suspects. Again everyone is lying to protect a secret, and every character has a dark one hidden away. Roses, Kisses and Death tackles social issues including social class and the plot is more complex and holds more turns than previous installments, this may be why this episode heavily riles on narration. Dangerous Dreams sees Puck wrapped up in the central plot and in a position of real danger. Full of family drama, a sadistic father, set in an isolated mansion where the family is so traumatized they will stay silent on the subject of murder. Can the mystery be solved before its too late? And finally we have Tragedy on a  Church Courtyard, in what may be the weakest of the series sees a festive gathering go wrong due to a brutal axe murder, we meet a vicar with a guilty secret who tries to stand in the way of justice and a town where blackmail seems to be the main hobby.

The plot of each film does keep you guessing most of the way through and you think you may have solved the mystery several times. Some of the endings may feel a bit anticlimactic, but some will hold your attention throughout. The actors all work well and interact with each other, but you sometimes feel like you want them to have a bit more to get their teeth into. Ola Rapace as Christer Wijk is the main draw and fantastic, Linus Wahlgren as Einar Bure is a great lead opposite Rapace, the two work well together and have a nice balance. But Tuva Novotny as Puck is a bit bland at times, almost as if there isn’t much for her to do.

On a brighter note, the movies all look stunning, the 50s setting beautifully portrayed and realistic. The camera work, editing and directing pull together a strong look and some breathtaking imagery. A lot of effort has been taken to make sure the 50s look is just right, from hair and make up to clothes. And while its a little bit of an Agatha Christie/Midsomer Murders mix but worth a viewing.

Sian Richter