Compare and contrast in Danish, Italian, Swedish & French

[Bernardo]

The recent popularity of foreign language crime drama may offer a good opportunity for an in depth study or an entry level Spot The Difference for students of all ages. Do members agree?
The stark difference between The Killing and The Butcher of La Villette is underlined as the series immediately followed each other and is fascinating, more so as the basic theme, the lead and the number of episodes is compatible. These and Zen plus Wallander are wonderful but, my God! the French! Well they are so...French. Watching the Danes or the French requires either air conditioning or centrally heating depending.
French cops seem to have as many heads as a hydra, tampering with evidence, police brutality, drug dealing, corruption. What an essay, what a range of social and drama topics could be teased out of these programmes.

[HUGHJAMPTON]

French cops seem to have as many heads as a hydra, tampering with evidence, police brutality, drug dealing, corruption. What an essay, what a range of social and drama topics could be teased out of these programmes.

Maybe they should be making the new Sweeney film

[CaptainWaggett]

The recent popularity of foreign language crime drama may offer a good opportunity for an in depth study or an entry level Spot The Difference for students of all ages. Do members agree?
The stark difference between The Killing and The Butcher of La Villette is underlined as the series immediately followed each other and is fascinating, more so as the basic theme, the lead and the number of episodes is compatible. These and Zen plus Wallander are wonderful but, my God! the French! Well they are so...French. Watching the Danes or the French requires either air conditioning or centrally heating depending.
French cops seem to have as many heads as a hydra, tampering with evidence, police brutality, drug dealing, corruption. What an essay, what a range of social and drama topics could be teased out of these programmes.

For a real Spot the Difference see the original Norwegian Insomnia which is all about the contrast between Norwegian and Swedish policing methods. For example, a key plot point is that the Norwegia police don't carry guns but the Swedes do,.

[batman]

The issue about policing methods and the gun in Insomnia (obviously not overly relevant in the remake, as that film is set entirely in the US) is very important, but the real guts of the film is about Engstrom's inability to cope with his own personal disintegration. He is a Swede trying to function in a foreign country (Norway) and is totally unable to relate to the Norwegians in a social as well as professional setting. The lack of sleep he endures (hence the title) enhances his feelings of isolation and causes him to lose control over his thought processes. He also begins to hallucinate badly. Insomnia is essentially a film about alienation and guilt, Engstrom is tired of his job and is alienated by this and the different methods that surround him, he also finds he has little in common with his new colleagues and he feels terrible guilt about the death of his friend and his attempts to cover it up. He slowly begins to unravel before our eyes. This is all played in a typically subtle Scandinavian slow burn manner which is mostly absent from the remake. There are lots of flashy visuals in the remake and a very shouty performance by Al Pacino in the Engstrom role. The remake is a good film, but is very different animal from it's predecessor. The original places Engstrom firmly in the middle of an ensemble but rightly distances him from the other characters via some subtle and instinctive acting. The remake is all about Pacino and the rest of the cast become subordinate to his performance. Both films are very good, but IMHO the original has the edge because it allows the viewer to watch from a distance, whereas the remake tries to force us to endure some kind of empathy with the Pacino character which doesn't really work for me.

[Bernardo]

Just seen the trailer and read the mixed reviews. Is Insomnia (1997) ever on Film 4 or BBC4 to save my pennies?