Features
Which Wallander?
We’ve been discussing the merits of numerous film and TV versions of Kurt Wallander that have been created over the years over at Dead Good HQ and have got into quite a heated debate…
The popular Swedish detective created by author Henning Mankell has been portrayed most famously by Krister Henriksson, Rolf Lassgård and Kenneth Branagh. Henning Mankell also co-wrote the Swedish crime-drama mini series Talismanen where Kurt Wallander was a supporting character portrayed by actor Lennart Jähkel.
We have our favourite Wallanders here, but who is yours?
Rolf Lassgård
First up is Rolf Lassgård as Wallander. Between 1994 and 2007, all nine Wallander novels were made into films in Sweden starring Lassgård. They are straight adaptations from the novels and Lassgård skillfully plays the moody, sad sack investigator we love in Henning Mankell’s books.
It wasn’t shown much in the UK but you can watch a short trailer for Firewall here.
Krister Henriksson
Second in line is Krister Henriksson who starred in the highly acclaimed TV series that began airing in 2005, the first of which – Before the Frost – was a feature-length film and was released in cinemas. Apparently when Henriksson was first urged to take on the role of Wallander around 2004 he refused. That was until Henning Mankell himself gave him a call. Henriksson was sent the books and after reading, said of the character, ‘I recognised my life.’ This statement is reflected in his brilliantly natural performance. Henriksson is the committed, weary cop; an overprotective father and a brash colleague, but he also leans towards the more sensitive fatherly side of Wallander’s character.
Kenneth Branagh
The most recent Wallander on our screens was Kenneth Branagh. Branagh’s take on the classic Swedish investigator is humourous and sincere. He is the rough and tired Wallander we know and contrasts wonderfully with the young, spritely sidekick, Magnus, played by Tom Hiddleston. My personal favourite, Branagh’s version of Wallander shows the murky undercurrent of his depression and the dark side of a day job of dealing with murders. There is a raw honesty about his approach to the character that I think is very evocative.
It seems that Kurt Wallander has such depth that each actor unearths the different layers of the character detailed throughout the written series. Maybe it’s the same dilemma as the Bond or Doctor Who question: Which James Bond or Doctor Who do you prefer? For many it is the actor that they saw portray the character for the first time – or the one that they grew up with.
I sometimes wonder what would happen if all three Wallanders were in the same room. Would they get on, or would they just silently wallow in thoughtful pessimism, sipping whisky to the sounds of opera?
But now it’s up to you. Which performance do you prefer? Tell in the comments below – and let the battle commence!
Krister Henriksson!
Young Wallander is a NETFLIX television series about fictional Inspector Kurt Wallander. The series premiered on Netflix on September 3, 2020.
Older fans will not like it, but it is just like updating Sherlock Ho,mes to the present day with a younger cast. Hopefully, it will develop a new fan base who will want to see the older series.
I haven’t seen Kristen Henrikkson so cannot judge him, but I loved Rolf Lassgård’s portrayal – so much more subtlety and depth than Kenneth Branagh’s. Also, the atmosphere of Sweden and Swedish life was much better depicted. In my view, Scandinavian crime drama is streets ahead of British crime drama which has become very formulaic over the years although Branagh has tried to elevate it.
Henriksson all day long.
Rolf Lassgård every time. Not just because he was the first Wallander I saw but because the big, tired, ill-looking, sad guy’s overwhelming melancholy matched the nature of the stories and the nature of the weather oppressed landscape. Krister is good but too lightweight in personality and Branagh…well…has the upside that we don’t need to read subtitles (I like subs) but I can watch David Warner who plays Kurt’s dad all day long. I wasn’t surprised in the slightest when I read that Mankell had imagined Rolf Lassgård playing his flawed man before TV deals were first talked about. Anyone who likes Rolf can also see him as forensic psychologist Sebastian Bergmann on DVD and also as a copper in several wonderfully miserable crime movies including Faceless Killers and The Hunters.