The Danish Version of “The Killing” Is Even Better Than Its American Counterpart

The compelling murder mystery is finally streaming in the States. Watch it.

August 12, 2021 8:29 am
Forbrydelsen
A scene from "Forbrydelsen," the Danish version of "The Killing."
Topic

We are more alike than we are different. 

In today’s volatile world full of conflict and disagreements, it’s easy to forget that most basic fact. But a mother’s love, a father’s grief, a detective’s determination, a political candidate’s ambition — these things transcend any language barrier or cultural distinctions. 

Even without the subtitles, viewers will be able to understand exactly what is transpiring on Forbrydelsen, which comes to Topic today (Aug. 12). The actors tell us most of what we need to know just by their deft facial expressions. The 2007 Danish series already inspired the American remake The Killing, which ran on AMC from 2011-2013 and then was picked up for a fourth season by Netflix in 2014. Until now, Forbrydelsen, which actually translates to The Crime, was only available in the United States via DVD. (And, let’s be honest, how many of us still own DVD players?).

In Forbrydelsen, Detective Sarah Lund (Sofie Gråbøl) is on her very last day of work as head of investigations in the Copenhagen homicide department. She and her adolescent son are moving to Sweden where they are going to join her very understanding boyfriend Bengt (Johan Gry). But you know the saying — every time she thinks she’s out, they pull her back in. Jan Meyer (Søren Malling) is Sarah’s incoming replacement who would like to be able to work without Sarah always looking over his shoulder and critiquing his unconventional style.

As she’s packing up her office on her last day,  Sarah and Jan get called to a crime scene. Nineteen-year-old Nanna Larsen’s (Julie Ølgaard) beaten, lifeless body is discovered in the trunk of a car submerged in water. Her parents Theis Birk Larsen (Bjarne Henriksen) and Pernille Birk Larsen (Ann Eleonora Jørgensen) are shattered. Theis owns a moving company and lives in an apartment above his company. He has only let his right-hand man Vagn (Nicolaj Kopernikus) know that he’s about to surprise his family with a move to a brand new house he has just purchased.

Theis and Pernille thought Nanna was spending the weekend with her friend after a Halloween party at their school. They don’t even know anything is wrong until Sarah and Jan arrive at their home. In perhaps the only time the series shows its age, they are led to the Larsens because Theis’s video card is found at the scene of the crime. 

The case is quickly linked to Troels Hartmann (Lars Mikkelsen), a successful local politician and community leader in the midst of a competitive mayoral campaign where he’s trying to unseat the incumbent candidate. (And yes, Lars is the brother of actor Mads Mikkelsen, star of the cult hit Hannibal.). Nanna’s body was found in one of the cars used in Troels’s campaign. 

There are scenes in Forbrydelsen that will haunt you. When Theis and Pernille have to tell Nanna’s two younger brothers that Nanna is dead, one of them forlornly asks, “Will she never, ever come back?” When the priest tries to comfort Pernille, she lashes out, “I don’t give a shit if she’s with God. She’s supposed to be with me.” Theis hides in the bathroom as he breaks downs after seeing his daughter’s body. “Seven days ago she walked out our door. She was going to a party,” he says, still in disbelief. 

The first season consists of 20 episodes, each episode marking one day in the investigation. Like its American counterpart, many suspects are in the mix. There’s Nanna’s ex-boyfriend Oliver and his friend Jeppe. There are Nanna’s teachers. Theis’s co-workers. Troels’s campaign staff. The show offers up a steady procession of red herrings to keep viewers in suspense. Along the way, cryptic clues are offered. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you find he’s done it before,” the medical examiner tells the detectives about the killer. Part of the fun of the series is that it offers the terrific opportunity for the viewer to play armchair detective, and after you’ve watched the first season, you may want to go back and watch it again just to see what clues you might have missed the first time. 

The basic plot points of The Killing and Forbrydelsen are the same. The characters even share some of the same or similar names. But the rest of the story zigs and zags in unique ways. And here’s where Forbrydelsen truly differs from its American remake: you may recall the uproar that happened after the first season of The Killing when the show failed to reveal who killed Rosie Larsen. That won’t happen here, as the killer is revealed by the end of the first season. Even better, all 20 episodes of Forbrydelsen are available right now. You can watch the entire first season in one weekend. The show was a massive international hit, winning all kinds of awards (including BAFTA TV’s Best International Award) and continued for two more seasons. Seasons two and three, which consist of 10 episodes each and find Detective Sarah Lund investigating new crimes, will be released weekly on Topic every Thursday. 

The entire cast is phenomenal, but it’s the two mothers who anchor the series. Jørgensen will break your heart. Her journey from devastated parent to angry grieving mother will consume viewers. She’s the opposite of Sarah,  a loving if neglectful mother — one who consistently puts her career ahead of her family. “You’re only interested in dead people,” her son lashes out at her. Sarah’s dogged determination and her unwillingness to accept that things are not what they seem drive the case forward. She has a tenuous-at-best relationship with her new and unwilling partner. And she pushes the limits of her ever-patient boyfriend. Soon her promises that she will be on the next plane become the detective equivalent of “check’s in the mail.” We know even before she does that she’s not leaving until she finds out what happened to Nanna and who is responsible. 

The political intrigue on Forbrydelsen weaves in and out of the investigation. Troels must deal with a traitor amid his campaign who leaks information to the press. He often wants to do the right thing but is convinced otherwise by his campaign manager Rie Skovgaard (Marie Askehave), who often operates against Troels’s better judgment. 

The series is even better than its American remake, and even if you remember all the details of The Killing, you will not know who the killer is. So many details and reveals will surprise you. And if you never watched The Killing, well, you are in for an even bigger treat. Watch now. You’ll tak me later. 


Forbrydelsen is now available to stream via indie streaming service Topic.  InsideHook readers can get 50% off on their first three months of the service by clicking this link or using the code INSIDEHOOK3 at checkout. Just make sure you have your subscription set to “monthly.”

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