False Trail

This is a 2011 sequel to the 1996 Swedish film The Hunters. As far as I can tell, the only common character between the films is Erik, played by the amazing Rolf Lassgård.

So False Trail is a pretty loose sequel. There doesn't seem to be a very good reason why Erik should be called back to his old home town from Stockholm, against his will; and the writers invent an additional reason for his reluctance to return, as if he didn't have reason enough after the events of the first film.

This could easily be a Wallander story. In fact I had to remind myself a couple of times that it wasn't; being a big fan of Rolf in that role.

There isn't much that you can't guess early on in the case. So this isn't much of a mystery. Clearly there is a fall guy and people laying a false trail to him... the clue is in the title after all.

So, like many of Lassgard's films, this is mostly about the characters. And unlike some of his weaker films, he isn't the only great character. Peter Stormare also has a great character in Torsten who also seems to be a good-cop and bad-cop rolled into one. The scenes between Erik and Torsten are all very tense, as they scope each other out.

This isn't a brilliant film, because the plot is a bit predictable, but it is still a good watch.