The Great Swedish Detective Is Everywhere
If American TV viewers are familiar with Swedish author Henning Mankell’s chief inspector, Kurt Wallander, it’s because an English-language adaptation starring Kenneth Branagh has aired on PBS’ “Masterpiece Mystery!,†with new episodes set to return in September. Both Krister Henriksson and Rolf Lassgard have played the melancholic cop, who lives in what ought to be a peaceful port city on the country’s southern tip. Branagh’s interpretation of the character makes him noticeably more brooding and troubled than the one we meet in Henriksson, in the new DVD collection, “Henning Mankell’s Wallander.†His protagonist still is far from being outgoing, but his recent move to a seaside home appears to have lightened his mood somewhat. The new compilation from Music Box includes 13 episodes of 90 minutes length each. The acting is uniformly excellent throughout and the police work’s engrossing. This time around, Wallander’s patience and heartstrings often are tested by the presence of a new lead prosecutor, played by Lena Endre (“Faithlessâ€). The scenery is pretty special, too. As another sign of the times, the first chapter of the series starring Henriksson, “Revenge,†has already been made available a la carte on VOD, via iTunes, Amazon and Vudu. It opens theatrically in Los Angeles and New York on Friday.
