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Movies / Upcoming / Jar City
Jar City

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Jar City (2008)

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Reviews Counted:35

Fresh:33

Rotten:2

Average Rating:7.4/10

Consensus: A sublimely directed thriller, Jar City combines murder mystery, family drama and ample bits of Icelandic culture into a fascinating cinematic experience.

Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins

Genre: Dramas

US Box Office: $0

Synopsis: An elderly man is found murdered in his basement flat. Inspector Erlendur and his crew don’t have much to go by in the investigation, but a photograph of a young girl’s grave gives them a lead.... An elderly man is found murdered in his basement flat. Inspector Erlendur and his crew don’t have much to go by in the investigation, but a photograph of a young girl’s grave gives them a lead. They discover that many years ago the victim was accused, though not convicted, of horrible crimes. Did the old man’s past come back to haunt him? As Erlendur reopens this very cold case, he follows a trail of unusual forensic evidence, uncovering secrets that are much larger than the murder of one old man – with clues knit into the genetic bloodline of an entire country.

Based on the novel MÝRIN by Arnaldur Indridason, winner of the Scandinavian crime writers’ Glass Key Award in 2002. --© IFC Films
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Starring: Ingvar E. Sigurđsson, Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir, Bjorn Hlynur Haraldsson, Ólafía Hrönn Jónsdóttir

Starring: Ingvar E. Sigurđsson, Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir, Bjorn Hlynur Haraldsson, Ólafía Hrönn Jónsdóttir, Atli Rafn Sigurđarson

Director: Baltasar Kormákur

Director: Baltasar Kormákur
Screenwriter: Baltasar Kormákur
Producer: Agnes Johansen, Lija Pálmadottir, Baltasar Kormákur
Composer: Mugison
Studio: IFC Films

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Reviews for Jar City

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Unnerving and emotional, this police thriller has an unnerving breadth and depth, as a murder case opens a decades-old inquiry that brings all kinds of dark creepiness with it. It's like an Icelandic twist on Seven.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
09/12/08
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Kormákur, who made the highly original 101 Reykjavik, is clearly saying something pessimistic about his homeland and, as a film-maker, has the means to do so to some effect.

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
09/12/08
Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm
This is London

The burden of this Icelandic procedural thriller will put a chill in your bones, if the lugubrious, wind-whipped coastal setting hasn't done already.

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
09/12/08
Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Independent
N/R

A murder story in the grungy-misanthropic style of Kormákur’s 101 Reykjavik, but without the plaintive wit or probing compassion.

Full Review Source: Financial Times | comment Comment
09/12/08
Nigel Andrews
Nigel Andrews
Financial Times

I’ll admit that I struggled to keep up with some of the more intricate twists and turns, but things come together for a shocking and memorable finale.

Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK] | comment Comment
09/12/08
Daily Mirror [UK]

Refusing to spoonfeed its audience, this is a dark, convoluted thriller, tightly scripted and richly atmospheric.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
09/12/08
Philip Kemp
Philip Kemp
Total Film

Bleak surroundings and grim humour create a suitably sombre mood, but in the wake of juicy police procedurals like Dennis Lehane adaptations Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone, this is disappointingly straightforward stuff.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
09/12/08
Elliott Noble
Elliott Noble
Sky Movies

The disinterring of corpses makes this film almost too ghoulish for its own good, but Iceland's top director Baltasar Kormákur wraps it up in his distinctive frostbitten style.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
09/12/08
Tim Robey
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph

It's an intriguing puzzle that held me gripped until the very end.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
09/12/08
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It’s a terrific piece of direction from Kormákur. Everything, from the look of the film, to the brilliantly unsettling use of food as a recurring motif, is judged perfectly.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
09/12/08
Wendy Ide
Wendy Ide
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A satisfying, altogether distinctive piece of filmmaking.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
09/12/08
Trevor Johnston
Trevor Johnston
Time Out

In short, this is a superbly made, thoroughly engaging thriller that exerts a powerful emotional grip and is well worth seeking out. Recommended

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
09/11/08
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

A chilling murder mystery which should do wonders for Iceland's film industry.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
09/09/08
Rosamund Witcher
Rosamund Witcher
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A cold case in a cold place - Iceland's chilly legacy comes under investigation in this tragic noir.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/03/08
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Channel 4 Film

Tremendously acted and shot with memorable confidence, Jar City deserves a much wider release than it's apparently going to get.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
07/09/08
Andrew O'Hehir
Andrew O'Hehir
Salon.com

bazeis (ton skinotheti) se katigoria spanioy talentoy, kai toy syghoreis tin adynamia na brei kaskanter tis prokopis gia merikes apo tis apaititikes skines

Full Review Source: Movies for the Masses | comment Comment
06/29/08
Joseph Proimakis
Joseph Proimakis
Movies for the Masses

Terrifically acted, expertly shot and painstakingly paced, Jar City investigates deeper, darker themes. And Erlendur is a reminder that homicide detectives don't save lives so much as exhume the meanings of violence.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
06/06/08
Lisa Kennedy
Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post

Director Baltasar Kormakur interweaves taciturn Scandinavian humor and morbid violence for a unique combination of flavors.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
04/25/08
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune

Jar City is an absorbing mystery connecting different generations and set in the desolate landscapes of Iceland.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
04/03/08
Ed Scheid
Ed Scheid
Boxoffice Magazine

a great icelandic thriller

Full Review Source: sbs.is | comment Comment
03/11/08
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
sbs.is
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Jar City

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This week we have the stoner action-comedy The Pineapple Express, with Seth Rogen, James Franco and new boy on the comedy block Danny McBride, plus My Little Eye writer James... More...

September 09, 2007: IFC Heads For Jar City
For those of you out there who only know about Iceland because of Bjork, Sigur Ros, and the fact that its capital city's name is difficult to pronounce, add Jar City to your... More...

July 21, 2007: trailer and preview Opens in new window
More...

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