Jar City details
| Format: | 15 DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Ingvar Eggert Sigurosson, Ingvar Eggert Sigurosson, Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Ólafía Hrönn Jónsdóttir, Atli Rafn Sigurðsson, Kristbjörg Kjeld, Þorsteinn Gunnarsson, Theódór Júlíusson, Þórunn Magnea Magnúsdóttir, Guðmunda Elíasdóttir |
| Directors: | Baltasar Kormaker, Baltasar KormáKur |
| Genres: | Drama - Crime, Thriller |
| Studio: | UNIVERSAL PICTURES UK |
| Collections: | FILMCLUB Recommends... |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
Jar City |
15 Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 34 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 26 Jan 2009 |
| Main languages: | Icelandic |
| Subtitles: | English |
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Most helpful review
Jar City - A very good drama/thriller
By a customer from London , 30 Jan 2009[Highly rated reviewer]
Jar City was a film that I was keen to see, as I heard good things about it when it was released at the cinemas last year. It portrays a rather gritty and dark image of Iceland, with the film revolving around a murder and the local crooks. The lead actor, has an excellent performance. If it gives you an impression (from the cover image - which I admit was what I initially thought when I saw the cover) that it might be like Seven, it isn't like this, it is much slower and not very gory. However, the film has a lot of atmosphere and I certainly enjoyed it.
I would recommend it to people who enjoy world cinema, don't mind reading subtitles and like thrillers.- Was this review helpful to you?
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All reviews
(36)Everything Apart from the Sheep's Head
By a customer , 25 Mar 2013I enjoyed this film, it is dark, atmospheric and tightly plotted, providing enough h suspense to hold my interest. I also found the portrayal of life in Iceland fascinating... although it didn't convert me to the delights of sheep's head.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Disappointing TV-like drama
By a customer , 19 Oct 2012A bit like a good Icelandic made-for-TV drama. Not a good trip-to-the Cinema type film. Disappointing. Subtitles were not a problem as I can read quite well.- Was this review helpful to you?
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The Chilling
By Robinski (152 reviews) from Glasgow , 28 Dec 2011Unremittingly depressing Icelandic crime story, everything about it is miserable, the palette of colours, the settings, the scenery, the people, the food – definitely not sponsored by the Iceland Tourist Board. Jar City makes ‘Wallander’ (the Swedish version) look like Miami Vice – not a Faroe Island jumper in sight. The plot follows Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson’s hard-bitten cop Erlendur on a murder investigation that leads into the past. There are good performances here and solid direction by Baltasar Kormákur, who has just completed ‘Contraband’ (as of late 2011), directing Mark Wahlberg, Giovanni Ribisi and Kate Beckinsale.
There are some mechanical difficulties, like certain sections of flashback which are hard to pick up because there is no visual distinction between with the main action, and the subtitles are too fast in places with no good reason. But if you like your cops gritty, your stories grimy and your locations grey and inhospitable then you will probably enjoy this. Ultimately it is in the same territory as the likes of ‘Spiral’ and ‘The Killing’, and the story perhaps suffers a bit from not having the same amount of time as these for the viewer to become immersed in the detail, but Jar City is a good film and well worth the rental if you are looking for a gloomy thriller.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Mum's gone to Iceland
By aylien (4 reviews) from Alston , 31 Oct 2011[Highly rated reviewer]
An engaging and believable drama despite the subtitles seeming a bit stilted compared to what you were actually watching.
Excellent cinematography showing Iceland to be exactly how I imagined it - wild, cold, grey, bizzare landscapes, social problems.
The scene where the main character goes to a 'Drive Through', for a sheeps head for supper - then eats it was truly stomach turning - if I went for a holiday, I would take a lot of sandwiches.
It's in a similar vein to the excellent Wallander series - just as good but with more grey and more cold.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Worth a look
By Petal_Blossom (1 review) , 29 Aug 2011Fantastic adaptation from the book by Arnaldur Indridason. It doesn't quite keep to the book but it is incredibly atmospheric and the Icelandic scenery is beautiful. It is well worth checking out.
If I have a grumble it would be that the subtitles are too small and are in white. Taking into account that it snows a lot in Iceland I think it was a poor choice of colour.
Personally I am eagerly awaiting further adaptations from his books...- Was this review helpful to you?
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