REVIEW: DVD Release: Jar City

Film: Jar City
Release date: 26th January 2009
Certificate: 15
Running time: 91 mins
Director: Baltasar Kormákur
Starring: Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Ólafía Hrönn Jónsdóttir, Atli Rafn Sigurðsson
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
Studio: Universal
Format: DVD
Country: Iceland/Germany/Denmark

Iceland is not a very big nation. With a population of just over 300,000 and a widely recognized standing as one of the happiest nations on earth, it’s not exactly a place that you need to lock your doors to feel safe at night. People’s word travels quickly, and the streets are usually pretty empty. So when something like murder happens in a country where the police don’t carry guns…well, things get a fair bit interesting.

Jar City is a twisted, complex thriller that takes a gloomy step above your run-of-the-mill Icelandic vandalism, instead dealing with rape, murder, suicide, and police corruption.

The story is told from an omniscient perspective, but primarily follows the main character Erlendur, a gritty and almost apathetic detective, played by Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson.

Erlendur fits the typical grizzled Icelandic male stereotype: he wears wool sweaters, eats sheep’s head, drives a Range Rover, and smokes a pack a day. However, in the midst of this, he also has a dreadfully promiscuous daughter, played by Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir, who might be just as much trouble as she’s worth to our main character.

The film opens dramatically with a geneticist, Örn, who is seemingly very distraught at his place of work, who then visits his dying daughter in the hospital. Örn’s daughter then dies and the story transitions to the scene of a murder, where we find Erlendur and his, well, sidekicks: a young and inexperienced detective named Sigurður Óli, played by Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, and a down to earth female investigator named Elínborg, played by Ólafía Hrönn Jónsdóttir.

These two investigators aid Erlendur in his investigation of the murder of a local thug named Holberg, who was formerly part of a notorious criminal trio simply called, “The Trio”. Erlendur’s investigation takes him looking for the other members of The Trio, one of whom is rotting in prison, and the other of whom is found dead underneath the floorboards of Holberg’s house. A medical mystery then begins to unfold as we find out about an alleged rape and some surprisingly exciting genetic science…


This film’s location shooting in various parts of Iceland makes this a gorgeous yet bizarre film to watch; the Icelandic urban, suburban, and rural landscapes are vastly different from that of almost anywhere else on earth. But not only was the setting a treat, but the entire mise-en-scène of this film really is quite captivating, with creative and eerie lighting, superb acting, and finally, curious and intriguing backdrops in many of the scenes.

The lighting went a long way towards giving this film its eerie and almost surreal quality. Lots of glowing greens and white lights, as well as the natural dim daylight of Iceland converge to engulf the viewer in the often beautiful imagery on screen; whether that beauty be the physical setting, or the performance of one of this film’s many talented actors or actresses.

All directorial techniques and visual elements aside, this film has a plot interesting enough to grasp and hold you, but not quite enough to blow your mind. You could think of the story as a bit of a mixture between Dirty Harry and Oldboy, with much less on-screen violence, Clint Eastwood, and Koreans. There is a great degree of dialogue that drives the film, which is a plus for anyone interested in listening to a lot of Icelandic, or really submersing themselves in an interesting plotline.

The soundtrack to this film goes a long way in boosting the drama and beauty of the events unfolding on screen. It consists mainly of choruses of intensely lamenting men and women that force the audience to pay closer attention to the dramatic elements of the film, and gives it the overall feel of being grim and dark. All of the music is sung in Icelandic, perhaps adding more of a dramatic element, since the majority of non-Icelandic viewers will feel the ominous mood created by the sounds rather than focusing on the lyrics.

This film, like all others, isn’t without flaws. The acting, although very well done throughout, has its definite weak points, most notably present in people with limited screen-time. Another negative element of this film is the unsteadied camera, which more often served as a tool to involve the viewer, but at times got a bit annoying after becoming aware of it.


Jar City probably isn’t one of the best movies you’ll ever see, but it sure will satisfy a craving to see a good movie. The interesting backdrop of Iceland makes for an interesting and unusual narrative, and adds a lot of beauty to the film. All in all, Jar City is a very solid film from a small Scandinavian nation. NPW