A middle-age man is found murdered – bopped over the head with an ashtray – in his basement apart ment in Reykjavik, Iceland. Searching the flat, police Detective Erlendur discovers the hidden photo of a child’s grave.
The suspenseful police procedural “Jar City” records Erlendur’s investigation, which will eventually involve long-ago events – the child’s death from a brain tumor, police corruption and a rape.
Written and directed by Baltasar Kormakur, a talented writer-director-actor, “Jar City” was a blockbuster in Iceland, where it swept that small country’s version of the Oscars.
The story, based on a best-selling novel, has familiar overtones; but Kormakur overcomes them with stylish direction – Iceland’s natural beauty looks great – and a gripping performance by Ingvar Eggert Sigurdsson as the world-weary Erlendur, whose favorite meal is that old Icelandic delicacy, sheep’s head.
In Icelandic, with English subtitles. Running time: 94 minutes. Not rated (gory images). At the IFC Center, Sixth Avenue and Third Street.