Very well executed

Nice effects though.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Unremittingly depressing Icelandic crime story, everything about it is miserable, the palette of colours, the settings, the scenery, the people, the food – definitely not sponsored by the Iceland Tourist Board. Jar City makes 'Wallander' (the Swedish version) look like Miami Vice – not a Faroe Island jumper in sight. The plot follows Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson's hard-bitten cop Erlendur on a murder investigation that leads into the past. There are good performances here and solid direction by Baltasar Kormákur, who has just completed 'Contraband' (as of late 2011), directing Mark Wahlberg, Giovanni Ribisi and Kate Beckinsale.There are some mechanical difficulties, like certain sections of flashback which are hard to pick up because there is no visual distinction between with the main action, and the subtitles are too fast in places with no obvious reason. But if you like your cops gritty, your stories grimy and your locations grey and inhospitable then you will probably enjoy this. Ultimately it is in the same territory as the likes of 'Spiral' and 'The Killing', and the story perhaps suffers a bit from not having the same amount of time as these for the viewer to become immersed in the detail, but Jar City is a good film and well worth the rental if you are looking for a gloomy thriller.

As this film opens we see Örn, a father, singing a lullaby to Kola, his dying young daughter, in hospital; we then see two boys entering a house where they find a body. The man is named Holberg and the only obvious lead is a photograph of the grave of another young girl; this one who died in 1974. Erlendur is the police officer in charge of discovering who killed Holberg and before the case is solved he will have to discover what happened in 1974; as he does so he will come across police corruption, an old undiscovered murder and a possible rape where the victim is unknown. It will also take him to 'Jar City' the storage place for preserved body parts where the evidence linking the deaths of the two girls is to be found… they may have died of natural causes but that doesn't stop it being a motive for murder.If you are looking for something jolly then this isn't for you; the case is as bleak as the harsh winter scenery. It is still an entertaining story that should keep fans of Scandinavian mysteries happy. Ingvar Sigurðsson does a fine job as the downbeat Erlendur; a character who is tougher than he looks and has a taste for sheep's heads! As is often the case there is more to the story than the mystery; all cops these days seem to have difficult home lives and Erlendur is no exception; he has problems with his daughter who has an unstable life to say the least

Jar City is an excellent police procedural thriller, yet also far more than just that. It takes the biggest issues in human life, loss, past secrets, family loyalties, human decency and wasted lives and spins them into a flawless thread with the traditional fare of the detective plot, hidden crimes, corruption, suspense and plot twists.The filming style is refreshing for anyone raised on Hollywood who-dunnit's, with real locations and down to earth acting; on a par with Mississippi Burning IMO. That it's in Icelandic as an English speaker made no difference to me, I was gripped by this film. Jar City, the frailty of human life displayed!

Having read all of Arnaldur Indriðason's novels, I was very pleased when I heard that Baltasar Kormákur was planning to make this film. The press immediately started a sort of a Scarlett O'Hara search, in terms of finding an actor capable of portraying detective inspector Erlendur. When Ingvar Sigurðsson was finally chosen, I must admit that I wasn't that keen, as I felt that he was not at all the right type. Having seen the film now I must admit that I need not have worried. Ingvar Sigurðsson's portrayal of Erlendur is first class throughout, both the bitter and tender aspects of that complex character. All the cast is indeed great, most notable though Atli Rafn Sigurðsson as the grieving father, Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir as Eva Lind, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson and Ólafía Hrönn Jónsdóttir, as Erlendur's associates Sigurður Óli and Elínborg, and Theódór Júlíusson as the veteran hooligan Elliði. The cinematography is the best I've seen in any Icelandic film, the editing "par excellence", and the music extremely powerful. One has to give credit to the Reykjavik Police Choir, for the excellent singing. This is a film that everyone has to see, and I'm quite certain that it will scoop up quite a few awards at various film festivals. Keep on at it Baltasar. And hopefully you will bring other novels by Arnaldur Indriðason, such as Grafarþögn and Röddin to the silver screen.