Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

False Trail Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 20, 2013

Swedish director Kjell Sundvall's "False Trail" a.k.a "Jägarna 2" (2011) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film as well as a Q&A session with actor Rolf Lassgard. In Swedish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

It is not what happened...

Erik Bäckström (Rolf Lassgard, After the Wedding, Under the Sun) is a veteran police interrogator who lives and works in Stockholm. The first close-up of his face reveals that he is a man who has been through a lot – his eyes look tired while his unshaven face suggests that he no longer cares about the way he looks.

When a young girl is brutally murdered in his home town, Erik is asked to go back and take over the investigation. Rather reluctantly, he agrees.

The town is somewhere in the northern parts of Sweden. Here people know just about everything there is to know about each other. Just about all men also own rifles because they like to hunt. Excluding drinking in the local bar, hunting is the only other legit recreational activity.

Before the police discover the body of the murdered girl, Erik repeatedly clashes with the area’s top cop, Torsten (Peter Stormare, Armageddon, Bad Boys II), who has already decided that a notorious local troublemaker (Eero Milonoff, Beauty and the Bastard) is the key suspect. Erik does not believe he is because the authorities simply do not have enough evidence to conclude that the troublemaker could be in any way responsible for the girl’s death. Things get really complicated when one day Torsten, who also happens to be the stepfather of Erik’s nephew, Peter (Kim Tjernstrom), suggests that years ago Erik could have done more to prevent his brother from committing suicide.

False Trail is a sequel to director Kjell Sundvall’s 1996 thriller Jägarna a.k.a The Hunters, but knowledge of the previous film isn’t required to enjoy it. In the first film, Erik returns to his home town to work on a case which ultimately forces his brother to commit suicide. This is the one and only fact that is repeatedly mentioned in False Trail.

In False Trail, the focus of attention is primarily on the murder case. Occasionally, Erik’s past is brought up to reveal that his life has been a roller-coaster ride, but there are no flashbacks linking past events to the murder case.

The script for the film is excellent. Sundvall keeps the viewer guessing essentially until the final fifteen minutes where all of the scattered pieces are properly aligned and the killer revealed. But the strength of the film isn’t only in the manner in which the murder story is told. Even without the crime element the complicated relationships between the main characters would have easily kept the viewer interested in the film until the final credits roll.

Lassgard, one of Sweden’s very best actors, is terrific as the jaded but determined to get the real killer interrogator who seems to be rubbing the wrong way a lot of people in the quiet provincial town. Stormare, who has appeared in a number of Hollywood blockbusters during the years, is just as impressive. Lipponen also leaves a lasting impression with his very intense performance.

False Trail is beautifully lensed by cinematographer Jallo Faber (Tomas Alfredson’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, TV’s Wallander). The film has a wonderful moody look which is why it is now part of Arrow Films’ excellent Nordic Noir series. Johan Söderqvist’s (In a Better World, Kon-Tiki) ambient score also enhances the noirish atmosphere very well.

False Trail Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.44:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080/50i transfer, Kjell Sundvall's False Trail arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Films.

Similar to The Hunt, False Trail arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080/50i high-definition transfer which actually contains progressive frames. This means that there is absolutely no motion-judder whatsoever. To be clear, this is essentially a progressive transfer "locked" inside a 1080/50i encode.

The presentation is very strong. Image depth and clarity are simply outstanding. Some of the panoramic shots are so crisp and lush that they frequently look like digital photographs (see screencapture #5). Close-ups often boast exceptional clarity (see screencapture #3). What impressed me the most, however, was the outstanding color reproduction. The outdoor footage, and specifically the footage from the forest, looks quite incredible. There are no serious compression issues to address in this review. Also, there are absolutely no stability issues whatsoever. To sum it all up, this is indeed a very impressive presentation of False Trail, which rivals Arrow Films' presentation of The Hunt. (Note: This a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

False Trail Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Swedish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Swedish LPCM 2.0. For the record, Arrow Films have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

Johan Söderqvist's ambient score enhances the film's noirish atmosphere very well. There are some remarkably beautiful melodies that slowly enter the film and then gradually disappear. These specific sequences sound fantastic with the lossless 5.1 track. There are also various random sounds and noises that are quite effective. The dialog is always exceptionally crisp, clean, and easy to follow. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review. The English translation is excellent.

False Trail Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for False Trailer. In Swedish, with imposed English subtitles. (4 min).

• Q&A - actor Rolf Lassgard answers a series of questions about the character he plays in False Trail, Kjell Sundvall's prequel Jagarna, his theatrical career, etc. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

False Trail Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I thoroughly enjoyed Kjell Sundvall's False Trail. It is very well scripted and beautifully lensed. Rolf Lassgard, one of Sweden's very best actors, is also absolutely fantastic in it. I think that this film is one of the best in Arrow Films' Nordic Noir series. If you could play Region-B "locked" discs, I urge you to consider importing it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.