The Element of Crime(Forbrydelsens Element)

Name: The Element of Crime
Genre: Crime, Drama, Science Fiction

Denmark · 1984
1h 44m
Director Lars von Trier
Starring Michael Elphick, Esmond Knight, Me Me Lai, Jerold Wells
Genre Crime, Drama, Science Fiction

Fisher is an ex-detective that decides to take one final case when a mysterious serial killer claims the lives of several young girls. Unable to find the culprit, he turns to the controversial techniques of his former mentor, the now disgraced Osbourne. As he becomes increasingly engrossed in this method, things take a disturbing turn.

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TV Guide Magazine by

Filmed with great visual style, the film looks terrific but makes almost no sense save for its "insider" references to such films noir as Jean Luc Godard's Alphaville and Fritz Lang's M.

The A.V. Club by Keith Phipps

Crime's dreamlike tone and fantastic visuals make it impossible to forget, like an absurd nightmare that overshadows the following day. Even if Von Trier never made another movie, viewers would still watch and admire this debut.

Portland Oregonian by Marc Mohan

Most memorable for its startling color scheme, all sepia-toned monochrome with occasional stabs of icy blue. [23 Mar 2001]

Austin Chronicle by Marc Savlov

Unsettling and odd, it's the perfect film for a dreary, rainy day.

The New York Times by Vincent Canby

A film noir that's murky without being terribly mysterious.