Police inspector Carl Mørck is put in charge of a department of cold cases, joined only by his assistant, Assad. They dig into a case about a disappeared woman.
Odd-couple chemistry and a dark underbelly keep this Danish noir adaptation compelling.
While the plot toys with credibility, director Mikkel Nørgaard (Borgen) conjures a squalid atmosphere – the stuff of real nightmares.
Ticks along nicely without doing or saying anything out of the ordinary. Kaas makes for a very decent lead, though.
Lost Causes is familiar stuff and could almost be the pilot for a new television series but it remains an intriguing, cleverly plotted nightmare thriller that builds to a nailbiter of a climax.
A grim story involving a missing woman is competently told, but there is no disguising the utterly routine nature of the material.
Only the hardiest of souls will make it through the film without wincing, retching or squirming.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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