AVERAGE

Lars Martin Johansson (Rolf Lassgård), head of the Swedish National Criminal Investigation Department, discreetly gathers a suitable group of detectives, aiming to take a fresh, comprehensive look at the 1986 murder of Prime Minister Olof Palme.

This ambitious miniseries combines three novels by Leif G.W. Persson portraying a post-Cold War Sweden, offering a alternative, conspiratorial story about who might’ve murdered Palme.

Handsomely produced, interesting, with several very engaging performances (my favorite being Jacob Ericksson as an elegantly cynical and aristocratic socialist), but also excessively convoluted and scenes that take place in 1985/86 are somewhat unconvincing.

2013-Sweden-Norway-Denmark-Finland. 232 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Kristoffer Nyholm, Kristian Petri. Teleplay: Sara Heldt, Johan Widerberg. Novels: Leif G.W. Persson (”Between Summer’s Longing and Winter’s End”, ”Another Time, Another Life”, ”Falling Freely, As If in a Dream”). Music: Niclas Frisk. Cast: Rolf Lassgård (Lars Martin Johansson), Helena af Sandeberg (Jeanette Eriksson), Jonas Karlsson (Claes Waltin), Johannes Brost, Ulf Friberg, Ellen Jelinek, Claes Malmberg, Jacob Ericksson, Kjell Bergqvist, Lars-Erik Berenett, Göran Ragnerstam, Ia Langhammer, Petra Nielsen.

Trivia: Original title: En pilgrims död. Originally shown in four episodes.  Followed by two more miniseries, starting with The Fourth Man (2014).