Jar City

Based on Arnaldur Indriðason’s bestselling Icelandic novel, Jar City follows an experienced detective (Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson’s Erlendur) as he attempts to solve a seemingly routine murder – though it’s not long before the case becomes far more complex than he ever could’ve imagined. Jar City features a plot that’s almost absurdly complicated, particularly as Baltasar Kormákur’s screenplay layers in a whole host of suspects and clues, but there’s little doubt that the viewer’s patience is rewarded as the various pieces start to fall into place. Filmmaker Kormákur has effectively infused the proceedings with a stark sensibility that complements the material just about perfectly, while star Sigurðsson delivers a quiet and subtle performance that’s absolutely compelling. Jar City is ultimately a very smart, very effective thriller that bears more than a passing resemblance to such thematically-similar efforts as The Crimson Rivers and Insomnia, and there’s little doubt that the movie marks a tremendous step forward for Kormákur (ie his last effort, 2005’s A Little Trip to Heaven, was virtually unwatchable).

*** out of ****