10 Gripping Neo-Noirs You Must See Before You Die
2. Jar City
It would be remiss not to acknowledge Scandinavia's reputation as a powerhouse of noir fiction. Nordic noir as it is commonly known, which includes pioneering works such as The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Killing, has spawned countless imitators and remakes in Britain and America.
One exceptional Nordic noir is Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur's Jar City, adapted from Arnaldur Indriðason's novel Mýrin. Following Erlendur, a gloomy and anti-social police inspector, Jar City opens with the detective investigating a grisly murder whose culprit has left clues suggesting an ageing grievance and vengeful motive. Pursuing further leads, Erlendur uncovers a grim story of historical crimes whose consequences are significantly more far-reaching and tragic than could ever have been predicted.
The film's tone is ghoulish and unsettling throughout, with its exhumation of corpses and repulsive food motifs (a certain sheep's eyeball springs to mind) making one's skin crawl. A strange pitch-black humour also permeates Jar City's bleak examination of vengeance and familial breakdown, and the film is even more distinctive and nightmarish for it.