For some reason, I seem to have missed the boat with the whole Scandi-crime explosion that has become so popular on BBC4 and now Walter Presents. However, I did enjoy the Danish crime thriller The Keeper of Lost Causes, released a couple of years ago, so I was delighted to see this sequel had come out.
Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Fares Fares return as Carl and Assad, the two detectives in Department Q, the cold case department in the Copenhagen police force. This time, they are investigating the murder of the teenage twins of a former police inspector who has just committed suicide. As you might expect they uncover a complicated web of deceit and conspiracy involving some prominent members of society.
The best parts of the original film are present and correct again – the interaction between the two leads and the atmospheric sense of dour foreboding. The case itself is nicely convoluted, and although there are a few plot holes, it comes to a more satisfying conclusion than the original. In fact, with the addition of Johanne Louise Schmidt in the cast as the sparky secretary Rose, this is a rare case of a sequel that just about improves on the original.
I’m pleased to see that a third instalment of the series has been released in Denmark this year. Let’s hope that we don’t have to wait two years for that one!
Rating: 8 out of 10