Nordic film and television has become almost synonymous with crime stories. Perhaps we enjoy the oxymoron of the world’s happiest and friendliest countries being splattered with blood, fuelled by anger and lust. Writer/director Christoffer Boe’s Special Unit: The First Murder takes us all the way back to 1927, giving us the chance to meet Otto Himmelstrup, the man who founded the original Rejseholdet, Denmark’s mobile police unit, just over a century ago. 

Himmelstrup (Alex Høgh Andersen) is an ambitious, determined young police officer. He is burdened neither by politics nor class; he is simply there to seek out truth. A series of arson attacks have razed buildings all over the country, but it is a case in Esbjerg, a growing harbour town, that is sent to investigate. Joined by PR (Nicolaj Kopernikus) and Camilla (Mathilde Arcel), Himmelstrup soon finds himself plunged into a murder investigation, one that transcends class, morality and guilt. 

Christoffer Boe, along with cinematographer Lasse Frank, does an excellent job of giving the film a real sense of time and place. Lighting is sepia-toned; polished shoes clatter along polished corridors; rain sweeps along misty alleyways; shadows cast their own aspersions across worried faces. Indeed, many of the characters are introduced against a plain black backdrop, emerging from the darkness and staring straight down the barrel of the lens, almost daring the audience to make eye contact with. It’s high drama, and it works well. It’s also perfectly complimented by Jon Ekstrand’s score, which is full of throbbing brass, ominous strings and pulsating ticks. It’s a great way in which to keep tensions high throughout. 

There is also what appears to be archival footage of the area woven throughout the film, lending it another layer of authenticity and place. Malgosia Fudala’s costuming mixes faded glamour that wouldn’t look out of place in the heady clubs of Weimar Berlin with solid, practical fabrics and colours to dress the working classes. Boe’s script, which he co-wrote with Lasse Kyed Rasmussen and Jacob Jonia, uses the era to explore the privilege of the upper classes. Much like today, money can buy freedom and it can buy the truth, much to Himmelstrup’s exasperation. 

The lead trio all offer up excellent performances. Alex Høgh Andersen, as Himmelstrup, has one of his blazingly blue eyes disguised behind a brown contact lens and a crescent shaped scar across his right cheek. He is a police officer burdened with his own sense of guilt due to childhood trauma and a very clear moral compass. He is a workaholic, a man who has no interest in courting favour with local bigwigs. Andersen breathes all of this into Himmelstrup, fleshing out a real historical figure into a man determined to outrun his flaws. It’s a fascinating, complex character study. 

Nicolaj Kopernikus, as PR, presents a slightly sarcastic figure, only too happy to escape the drudgery of his domestic set up for an investigation out of town. He’s the technical – or scientific – brains of the operation, as it is he who has been trained in the new art of dusting for prints. Neither PR or Otto take Mathilde Arcel’s Camilla seriously. They dismiss her as “just a secretary” – oh, how casual the sexism – and initially don’t include her in key elements of the case. Arcel shows us that Camilla is keen and diligent, but perhaps not as street-smart as her wearier colleagues. Her enthusiasm, however, is a neat balance to the police officers who think they have seen it all. 

The pacing remains relatively tight throughout, although there are a few dips as the film’s run time stretches over two hours. You can’t help but wonder if it might work better as a mini-series, in order not to lose the fantastic depth of character that is created, particularly by Alex Høgh Andersen. Nevertheless, this is a film that will keep you guessing until its shocking reveal. There are rumours, bodies, suspects and red herrings aplenty, interspersed with cryptic shots of a gasping, clenching, mystery liaison. It’s a bit Agatha Christie meets Nordic Noir by way of Alfred Hitchcock. 

The ending of the film – no spoilers here – certainly keeps things open enough that we may see a sequel or sequels. Certainly, the title says this is only The First Murder and it would be great to see the lead trio back on screen to solve more cases together. Their dynamic really works and is enjoyable to watch. 

This is sure to be a big hit with fans of the genre, whilst the setting, depth of character and performances make it well worth the watch as the film has its debut at Rotterdam Film Festival.

“Special Unit: The First Murder is a visually compelling, twisted crime thriller that draws you into its grimy, dimly lit little world“