Mode - The Murderer Within - Season 1 - Blu-ray

Film: So much for a contemplative Christmas season. Sweden, of all places, is beset by a number of mysterious deaths in the atmospheric run-up to Christmas, which Inspector Ingvar Nyman (Henrik Norlén) and his team try to solve. When the autistic daughter of Inger Johanne Vik (Melinda Kinnaman) witnesses a murder and thus becomes the target of the perpetrator, the former profiler joins the investigation team. Because even if the deaths have little in common at first glance, it is quickly clear to her that they are connected. While the cops are desperately searching for a connecting pattern, another murder occurs. And slowly the connection is revealed. But what is really behind the murders that Vik and Nyman can not imagine in their worst nightmares.

Modus - The murderer in us is an exciting mixture of thriller and drama, which is told, however, just at the beginning a little bit tough. Although there are already in the first two episodes some very successful moments of tension and the ominous mood can be established well, there are also many very leisurely staged moments that interrupt the build-up of tension noticeably. Moreover, especially at the beginning it's hard to find an access to the main characters Ingvar and Inger Johanne. But the more the puzzle comes together to form a coherent overall picture, the more enthralling the series becomes.

If you can make it through the first three hours (which shouldn't really be a problem due to the many successful moments), the second half of the mini-series offers a cleverly constructed crime thriller that creates a conspiracy scenario that, at first glance, seems to be laid on too thick. But it's actually enough to read through a few hate comments on the internet about certain topics to realize that what is pure fiction here doesn't seem that far removed from possible reality. And that makes the resolution of this story all the more shocking and effective.

Although Modus - Der Mörder in uns does not exhaust all its possibilities and may not belong to the very big highlights of Nordic thriller fare in recent years, the series offers a total of six hours of really good, atmospherically tightly staged and solidly acted entertainment, which despite some lengths has earned a clear worth seeing.

Image + Sound: The technical realization of the series is on a good to very good TV level. The picture is absolutely clean and the overall sharpness is perfectly satisfactory, especially in brighter outdoor scenes. Colouring is very atmospheric and even in the darker scenes there is little in the way of quality points deducted. The audio, available as a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, allows both the dialogue and the atmospheric soundtrack to shine well. Not really spectacular, but perfectly adequate for a crime series. Good.

Extras: In addition to an extensive booklet, the box set has short promo interview sequences (approx. 3 min.) to offer on the second disc.

Conclusion: Modus - Der Mörder in uns is a suspenseful thriller drama, though it is told at a very leisurely pace, especially in the first two episodes. The atmospheric imagery and the tightening of the tension screw towards the end make minor lengths quickly forgotten. If you like Nordic thriller fare, you'll get your money's worth here. The Blu-ray presents the whole thing in good picture and sound quality. The bonus material, on the other hand, is a bit sparse. Nevertheless, there is in the end a clear: Recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp