By Icelandic standards Jar City is a real high, making use of the wilderness and sense of isolation and dreary urban environments. A detective with his own personal demons tries to make sense of his own circumstances as he investigates another pointless Icelandic murder. However the case soon unfolds as the strands reach out to unforeseen areas. Jar City is a solid thriller, partially elevated by its setting and swift running time. There is very little excess here, at times you may wish for a little more detail or depth, especially regarding his daughter. Yet I'd rather be left wanting more than suffering a messy overly long generic film.
Police procedural, Nordic noir about secrets hidden in the past of a small town... A grey and gloomy film is saved from stifling genre convention by a strain of deadpan and surreal peculiarity that plays throughout.