Home Cinema Review
Scandinavian Crime: The Spider on DVD
The Spider [DVD]
Arrow Films
Scandinavian drama has been a mainstay of and a source for UK nd US TV since The Killing in 2007 was followed by 
The Bridge, and Borgen. Back in 2000, Scandinavian crime was more of a novelty. The Spider (Edderkoppen in Danish) was a six-part miniseries set in 1949 about a group of black marketeers in Copenhagen led by the eponymous “Spider”.
Copenhagen 1949. Jakob Cedergren plays young, idealistic journalist Bjarne Madsen who is tipped off about organized crime and the black market post-WW2, and becomes determined to unravel the truth behind a series of murders.
The Spider is less sophisticated than current Nordic crime – the Danes hadn’t quite found their feet in terms of script, and some of the dialogue is a bit clunky.
The acting, however, is superlative with Lars Mikkelsen (The Killing, Borgen and the US version of House of Cards) playing Madsen’s brother, jazz musician Ole, Bent Medjing as Madsen’s more experienced journalist partner, Bjarne Henriksen (The Killing, Borgen) as the sinister Sven Aage Hjalmar, plus Jacob Cedergren (Those Who Kill), Stine Stengade (Prag), Flemming Enevold (Headhunter, The Killing), Troels Lyby (The Idiots) and many more. Directed by acclaimed director Ole Christian Madsen (WW2 drama Flame and Citron, Superclasico).
The post-WW2 period is recreated effectively, showing us a Copenhagen that is a stark contrast to the modern city we know today. For fans of Nordic noir, The Spider is interesting to see, partly because it has a number of actors who went on to other Scandi shows, but also because it points the way to shows like The Bridge and The Killing. Despite its slightly unsophisticated feel, there is a considerable Nordic charm in The Spider…
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