The Killing series 1 and 2 (Forbrydelsen) [UK import, Region 2 PAL format]

I thought the American version of The Killing was absorbing and intense, creating a complex mystery involving interesting, flawed and very human characters; but I was intrigued and curious about the original creation of these characters and this story, so I ordered Forbrydelsen. I was not disappointed: it is excellent! The actors embody the characters who are all the more interesting due to some cultural difference and the plot is compelling, thoughtful, powerful. The BBC DVDs I purchased are in Danish with English subtitles and it had to be played on my computer because it is from a different DVD region, but that is well worth it because I found it to be better than the US telling of the story. They begin very much the same introducing the crime, the invesigators, the family, but gradually they go their own way and in the end the plot develops very differently in the original and the US versions. I must say, I like the Danish Sarah Lund better than the way her character was written and acted in the American version. The story is dark, it seems to be always raining and the police are going in circles trying to sort out the confusing and misleading clues - it makes for a great tale that propels you forward to see how it is going to be solved. I highly recommend it if you can afford the BBC version (I hope a region 1 version will be released), and if you have the interest and stamina to follow the 20 episode mystery.

If I could give this 6 stars I would! I cannot tell you how well done this series is...and it is completely different from the American version in many ways...the acting, writing are superb. The ONLY caveat is that I took the recommendation of someone on Amazon reviews and purchased the Supersonic DVD player and it was a washout...I had to go with the Sony model and it was fine....for anyone 'hooked' on the series, I highly recommend this version...note: I purchased the entire 2 seasons and at the end of the Season 2 episode there was an option for "How it Was Made" and I listened to interviews with the girl who played Lund, and the Producer and I was excited to hear them comment on Season 3 in production in Denmark! (*- One thing the USA version has hands down over the Danish version is the interplay and fast talking interchanges b/n Joel Kinnaman's character and Linden...I missed that in the Danish version...however, she is such a strong character and the men in this version have a hard time keeping up with her, period, so I cannot complain, it also makes me appreciate both the writing/acting of Mr. Kinnaman even more.)

i heard that the original Danish version of this show was much better than the AMC version, so i bought a small Region 2 DVD player just to watch it. i have to say, i thoroughly enjoyed it. the first season is a little slow, but it really picks up half-way through. the second season rocks. the actress who plays Sara Lund is great.

would love to see it. can you make a USA format. All the other scandanavian mysteries have.

This product arrived as new and as described on Amazon. This series is well worth the cost and the translation into English subtitles is pretty good ( I understand and speak Danish).

We bought an all-region player to watch this much-written about Danish series. Season One was slightly different than the U.S. version but awesome. Now, the downside. Season Two won't play in my all-region player. It says "Wrong Region". I put season one back in the machine, played fine. None of the Season Two discs played due to the "wrong region" error message. I had to return it for a refund. Wouldn't let me exchange it due to a third party seller situation. So, in summary. Great, totally awesome series for Season One. Can't comment on Season Two. Just be wary when buying this Region 2 set that Season Two may not play on your machine.

I was totally addicted to this series from start to finish

I saw the first season of the American version called the Killing. Soon, quite by accident, I discovered the Danish original Forbrydelsen. It took some effort, but soon I was able to watch Seasons 1 & 2. If you enjoyed the Killing, you'll be captivated by Forbrydelsen. The American version does track the original very closely, but the original is far better. I have avoided spoilers insofar as that is possible.Sofie Grabol is compelling as the driven, dedicated Detective Sarah Lund as she investigates the grisly torture/murder of 19 year old Nanna Birk Larson. The acting is superb. The main complaint about the American version was that the murder was not solved by the end of the first season. I'll begin by saying this is not fare for reality-show types, or for those who expect to see the murder solved in 1 episode. Forbrydelsen episodes correspond to days after the killing. Episode 1 brings the viewer up to speed and makes her/him a silent partner in the investigation.If you are not familiar with foreign cinema, you probably are unaccustomed to subtitles. (Unless, of course, you have a hearing problem). The subtitles in Forbrydelsen fade as the story takes hold. The details are very hard to hear; the viewer is spared little. While the plot grips the viewer, Lund is latching on to the evidence. Like any good sleuth, she connects dots and makes intuitive leaps over gaps in circumstantial evidence. Lund's identity is bound up in her role of homicide detective. Her great failing is her inability to to separate her professional and personal lives; she doesn't understand those who do. But she demands more of herself than she does from anyone else. She also doesn't believe in short-cuts and insists rules are followed in interrogations.The backdrop is an election - a race between an older, conservative incumbent and a younger, idealistic challenger. No one is as they seem. The plot twists one way and then another. And there are so many secrets. Viewers complained about red herrings, there are plenty! (What's a mystery without twists?) Detective Lund is meticulous; she follows the evidence wherever it takes her.Forbrydelsen takes you down one road, then another, then another. Just when you think something is settled, it is revisited. Human behavior is like that. Murder doesn't fit into neat packages. Of course, this is a work of fiction, but it does illustrate how lives are destroyed by violence. No one emerges unscathed. No one is spared. If you'd enjoy a mystery wrapped in a thriller, seasoned generously with talent - make sure you see Forbrydelsen.

Fantastic show! Good thing my laptop has DVD drive still

‘The killing’ est une série dont chaque saison est un strict feuilleton.Saison 1 :‘The killing 1’ a été diffusé au Danemark en 2007, découvert en France grâce à Arte en 2010 (les Allemands, qui sont forcément beaucoup plus proches que nous –géographiquement évidemment, mais aussi culturellement- des Scandinaves et qui d’ailleurs coproduisent fréquemment leurs meilleurs projets cinématographiques et télévisés, l’ont diffusé dès 2008) qui raconte en 20 épisodes de 55mn une enquête policière qui dure... 20 jours.A Copenhague de nos jours, une étudiante est retrouvée morte dans une voiture ‘noyée’. Elle avait été torturée, puis violée. La commissaire Sarah Lund (Sophie Grabol, née en 68, actrice depuis 86 et vue en France uniquement dans ‘Pelle le conquérant’, ‘Le veilleur de nuit, la version originale’ et ‘Le Direktor’) est chargée de l’enquête alors qu’elle se prépare à quitter le Danemark avec son jeune fils pour aller retrouver le père de celui-ci en Suède. Secondée par son futur successeur, elle commence par découvrir que la voiture en question appartient à l’équipe du candidat à la succession du maire de la ville, Lars Mikkelsen (le frère du grand Mads Mikkelsen), en pleine campagne électorale, et que cet ‘amalgame’ n’enthousiasme du coup guère évidemment...Dans chaque épisode, l’enquête tourne autour d’un autre suspect appartenant soit au cercle des amis étudiants de la morte, soit à sa famille, soit au milieu politique local ; et tout au long du feuilleton, nous avons droit aux états d’âme de la sensible et torturée Sarah Lund qui a bien du mal à boucler cette enquête, au grand dam de son compagnon qui s’impatiente ‘dangereusement’ en Suède...Saison 2 :Sophie Grabol a repris du service au Danemark dès 2009 dans cette seconde saison, ‘The killing 2’, de la même veine, en cette fois-ci toutefois seulement 10 épisodes de 55mn (diffusée en Allemagne en 2010 et sur Arte en 2011) et dont le succès fut tout aussi grand, ce qui fait que la série connaîtra un troisième volet cet automne 2012...A Copenhague de nos jours, une avocate est retrouvée ensanglantée et morte sur une esplanade commémorative, peu de temps avant qu’un militaire ne soit pendu la tête en bas et éviscéré selon les règles hallal et qu’une ancienne conseillère en droit militaire ne lise, avant d’être à son tour massacrée, une lettre de la ‘Ligue islamiste’, que personne ne connaît, revendiquant ces crimes (uniquement de cibles symboliques avec un passé militaire) et annonçant les pires catastrophes pour les Danois ; et ce justement au moment où le nouveau ministre de la justice doit faire passer la nouvelle loi anti-terroriste au grand dam des ‘bérets noirs’, une organisation d’anciens combattants très à droite...Sarah Lund, qui avait été virée avec pertes et fracas et affectée depuis au contrôle des passeports sur des ferries, mais qui n’en reste pas moins plutôt douée pour ce type d’enquête politico-policières, est rappelée d’urgence, mais officieusement, pour aider ses collègues à y voir plus clair et découvre assez rapidement que toute cette histoire tourne autour d’une unité d’élite composée de huit personnes qui avait été affectée en Afghanistan...Poisseuse à souhait, comme toute production policière scandinave qui se respecte, ‘The killing’ vaut pour ses enquêtes extrêmement prenantes (au vu du nombre de suspects justement), le jeu intense de Sophie Grabol (le rôle de Sarah Lund est le rôle de sa vie !) et l‘ambiance particulièrement réaliste qui émane de ce thriller formidablement ancré dans la réalité politique du pays (une autre constante des productions scandinaves).Si vous aimez les ‘Borgen’, ‘Broen - The bridge’, ’Johan Falk’, ‘Les enquêtes du Commissaire Winter’, ‘Maria Wern’, ‘Millenium’, ‘Nom de code : l’Aigle’, ‘Protectors’ et autres ‘Wallander’, vous adorerez ‘The killing’, dont l’énorme succès international nous a valu entre-temps son inévitable remake US (‘The killing, la version américaine’ compte 2 saisons et 26 épisodes de 45mn et ne connaîtra pas de suite, la série ayant été arrêtée aux Etats-Unis par manque d’audience) !

A superior serial of twenty hour-long episodes, this Danish subtitled 'whodunnit' is full of almost unbearable suspense and cleverly interwoven plots all arising from the brutal and tragic killing of a beautiful young woman. The constantly changing pace allows both the sensitive exploration of the effects of the woman's death on her immediate familiy; the switchback changes in fortune for the clever, charismatic rather ruthless politician who may or may not be the guilty one, and the nailbiting suspense of the chase, often along blind alleys but ever coming closer to the real villain. I found it impossible to guess the killer until just before the final revelation.I like the fact that the actors, whilst very personable, are not blond-haired, blidingly-white toothed, perfect nosed, bee-stung lipped individuals impossibly groomed within an inch of their lives and looking more like they are ready for a photo-shoot than getting down and dirty for detective work. These Danish detectives who sometimes look tired and a little dishevelled are not 100% perfect and make mistakes like the rest of us. They are jolly clever though.My only cavil: what's with the ruddy eating? No-one, but no-one on Earth sounds or looks good when eating, let alone eating and talking. How those two detectives aren't wobbling around like Tweedledum and Tweedledee is one of life's mysteries.I am so looking forward to Series 2 which I have bought but not watched yet.

Au départ, quand nous avons lu le synopsis, nous avions hâte de voir une série dont l'action se déroule à Copenhague, ville que nous adorons.Le fait est que l'on ne voit pas beaucoup la ville, et la plupart du temps, il y fait noir... très noir.Ce que nous avons vu en revanche, ce sont d'excellents acteurs, tant dans les rôles principaux que dans les rôles secondaires, et des scenarii tout simplement brillants qui ne vont pas chercher la facilité. Le tout réalisé de façon très précise.Les histoires sont très bien pensées, pleines de surprises. Contrairement à la plupart des séries américaines, dans lesquelles les héros sont subtils, supérieurement intelligents et ne tombent jamais dans les pièges grâce à leur incroyable instinct, le genre "c'est trop facile, il y a quelque chose qui ne va pas...", nous avons ici des policiers normaux, qui se trompent, qui tombent dans les pièges, qui ne sont pas parfaits... qui sont humains.Cette série est incroyable au point qu'il est difficile de passer à une autre série policière. Elle est terriblement addictive.Les danois nous ont habitués à de la haute qualité quand il s'agissait de matériel audio ou de design, et pour notre plus grand plaisir, il faut désormais compter avec eux en ce qui concerne les séries policières.Vivement la suite, vivement d'autres séries provenant de cette production.Autre remarque : la Qualité du doublage est excellente, on peut alterner VO et VF sans problème. Un grand bravo aux acteurs-doubleurs qui sont souvent oubliés.

What a terrific series this is. Have watched all 30 episodes of series one & two in a week I was so glued to it. So gripping and thinking 'can it be him' or 'is it her' all the time. Even the actors did not know who was going to be the Killer until they filmed the last two episodes of each series. Cannot wait for series 3, which may be the last one it seems. Why did it take so long to release these though? Series 1 was made in 2007 and Series 2 in 2009!! One of the best things I have seen for a long long time and all I do know is that I will not be bothering with the American version at all because there seems no point as there is no way they can better the original. A true classic and ignore the one star review and it's moaning about the camera work and the subtitles not being shown at the right time as that is all nonsense as far as I am concerned and none of it either bothered me or I was even aware of. In my mind this is a true classic and should not be missed. Roll on series 3 - terrific stuff.