The man from Mallorca

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
German title The man from Mallorca
Original title Men from Mallorca
Country of production Sweden
original language Swedish
Publishing year 1984
length 107 minutes
Rod
Director Bo Widerberg
script Bo Widerberg
production Svensk Filmindustri , Sveriges Television
music Björn J: son Lindh
camera Thomas Wahlberg
occupation

The Man from Mallorca (alternatively: The Man from Mallorca ) is a Swedish crime film from 1984 with Tomas von Brömssen and Sven Wollter . Directed by Bo Widerberg , who also wrote the script for the film.

action

On Lucia Day , a post office in Stockholm, which is well-attended due to the run-up to Christmas, is attacked by an armed individual. The robber loots several hundred thousand crowns before he escapes. The two plainclothes police officers Johansson and Jarnebring are the first to reach the scene, as they were busy with a routine surveillance nearby . They go into pursuit but are unable to catch the perpetrator.

When investigating the attack, the criminalists came to the conclusion that the unusual modus operandi of the crime suggests a perpetrator who does not fit into the usual search patterns. Professionally executed murders of witnesses to the robbery, as well as increasing obstacles to the investigation over time, gradually convince Johansson and Jarnebring that the perpetrator must come from within their own ranks. The trail leads to a colleague from the Säkerhetspolisen who is responsible for the personal protection of the Minister of Justice .

The investigations for which the police also sacrifice their off-duty time, eventually lead to the only logical conclusion is that the bodyguards of the Minister of Justice to - made in Sweden criminalized - visit to a prostitute by his protectee used to attack the post office in the meantime . Despite the conclusive presentation of the events by both police officers, it is difficult for both of them to build up an absolutely "watertight" argumentation: individual witnesses to the attack are murdered; a witness who first confirmed the Minister of Justice's visit to the prostitute later revokes the statement. The film negatives of existing evidence photos disappear from Johansson's apartment under strange circumstances .

Furthermore, the perpetrator is provided with an alibi by his superior. The leadership of the police and secret service apparatus does everything in the background to prevent a possible political scandal and thus also protect their criminal colleague from criminal prosecution. They carry out eavesdropping attacks against Johansson and a witness and use their technical and human resources in an illegal manner.

In the following years, under the impression of the increasing number of setbacks , Johansson's colleague Jarnebring began to doubt more and more whether they might not have based their investigation results on coincidences and misinterpretations, which leads to a strain on the relationship with his friend and colleague Johansson .

The official investigation is later discontinued without result.

The film ends with a scene in which the head of the Säkerhetspolisen ( Säpo ), who gave his subordinate the false alibi and who is in the picture about everything, presents the Minister of Justice with his department's budget proposal for the next budget period. Although the Minister of Justice was initially negative about the proposal, he finally approved it after the head of the Säpo had put him under subtle pressure. In response to the Minister of Justice's final statement that one would then have to save on the kindergartens, the head of the Säpo replied with a cynical laugh that he (the Minister) had no other choice.

comment

In addition to the general plot, the film offers an insight into the structures of Swedish security authorities and paints a picture of the social conditions prevailing in Sweden in the early 1980s by also addressing areas such as the abuse of power, alcoholism and social distortions.

Novel

The plot of the film is based on the novel Grisfesten (German: swine festival ) published in 1978 by Leif GW Persson .

Web links