The Absent One (2016)

THE ABSENT ONE is the second in the trilogy of DEPARTMENT Q films, Danish crime dramas based on novels. This Scandi-noir offering has all you'd expect from this particular genre: dark visuals, a gritty plot, a sinister back story that impinges on the present day, and some scruffy, downbeat detectives who refuse to give up the case no matter what.This film features an extensive back story involving a group of public school teenagers who get up to some dark deeds in the 1990s. It's hard-hitting and explicit stuff indeed, and the present-day storyline is just as intensive. These DEPARTMENT Q films benefit from strong production values, solid writing, good acting, and a general air of quality that makes them ones to watch for fans of the genre.

Some time has passed since Department Q's one and only successful case and now Carl and Assad feel that there is pressure on them to get results. Carl is approached by a former police officer whose children had been murdered twenty years previously; Carl refuses as the case was officially solved. The man then commits suicide so Carl feels driven to at least take a look… it isn't long before he feels that there is more to the case than immediately met the eye. Firstly the man who was jailed for the crime was defended by one of Denmark's most expensive lawyers who only works for the country's richest families and this man was hardly rich and secondly he only served a short sentence for a crime as serious as a double murder where one of the victims was raped. There is also a recording that suggests that the crime was witnessed. Carl and Assad start to try to track down this witness but it soon becomes clear that others are determined to ensure they fail. It seems highly likely that those involved were students at a prestigious boarding school but the chief suspects are now respected businessmen and before the case is over Carl and Assad will be in extreme danger.This was a solid second case for Department Q although it is obvious who was responsible from near the start; the only real question was whether they would be brought to justice and if so how. There is quite a lot of violence; much of it brutal, some of it sexual in nature, which at times makes it feel more like a horror film than a detective drama… I've certainly seen some 'infamous' horror films that were less brutal! This will probably be a bit too much for some viewers but others will feel it adds to the intensity of the drama. Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Fares Fares continue to impress as Carl and Assad and Danica Curcic does a fine job as Kimmie, the witness everybody is trying to find. Pilou Asbæk and David Dencik are also on great form as two particularly unpleasant suspects. Overall I'd say that while this certainly won't be for everybody I'd recommend it to anybody who enjoyed the previous film in the series.

Seeking redemption or solace or anything remotely plain and silent after having done something horrible, is not easy. It even gets worse when the police digs up that past. Which is what happens here and our two main protagonists from the first novel (and especially the movie) are back on duty again.I haven't read the novels, but I did watch the first movie, which I can highly recommend. This isn't a bad affair either, but I can see people being a bit disappointed after that massive first movie. Still this is not only decent, but a very good crime movie, with twists flying your way every now and then. New leads, chases and guessing who did what and what could happen next. If you let yourself enjoy that ride, you'll be having a good movie experience - just not at the exact same level as the first one delivered

If you've seen the previous movie in the series and are looking for something similarly disturbing, yet good, watch this one.Having said that, let's get a bit more into the details. The main plot revolves around a cold case, similar to the first movie. This case lies back some 20 years, where a gang of youths from an elite boarding school are involved in some rather cruel and sadistic 'activities'. And that is basically where the movie begins.Carl and Assad are drawn into the case via the suicide of a retired small-town police chief, who tried to solve the case, but apparently got so obsessed with it, that in the end it did cost his sanity, and life.The casting was, IMO, good as well as is the acting. Like in the first installment. The story is not as entirely gripping as in the first one, maybe because there is little less suspense. The 'cat is out of the bag' rather early in the movie, but that does not diminish the plot. Setting and locations are okay, too.For the most part the plot revolves around redemption, the (dark) depths of the human psyche and a bit of revenge. And even though the plot is predictable, it still is dark and gloomy. The whole movie sits rather uneasy with me, mostly because of the entire disturbing scenes and hints. While it's graphic, for an Euroflick it's still rather tame. The movie draws mostly from that fact that we, as an audience, love to hate the cruel bad guys, especially when the seem so sleek and 'normal' on the outside. And of course we love to see them get what they had coming. However, it also has some shortcomings. Carl, as a character, stagnates in his development as a cop, as a father and as a personality. Also, there are some cliché moments, especially the take on the elite's kids in boarding schools going all haywire and being cruel snobs, you know, reasons. Also, the connections between the main antagonist and the chief of police (Carl's and his direct superior's boss) strikes me as not realistic. If you have such connections, things are swept under the carpet. I do not think that Denmark is different and that the cops there are THAT virtuous and righteous. But then again, maybe I've just seen too much news lately about how the police works these days, which stands in stark contrast to how they are supposed to work.Apart from those bits the movie is rather good and it definitely left me waiting for the upcoming third installment. All in all another good Scandinavian flick.