Iseerphia All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

Sabah Hensley This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Fulke Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

guidomaschio I give the movie 6 stars. Why only 6? Well, if it were not for some absurdities that requires far more than the suspension of disbelief I would have voted 8. The movie is gripping, the acting is good, the photography is dark and suggestive, the characters are troubled and interesting and the story is touching.The detective pair, Carl the troubled one and Assad the more positive thinker, reminds me of other famous nordic investigative couples I saw in "Forbridelsen" (Sarah Lundt and her changing buddies) and in "Bron-Broen" (Saga and Martin). The chemistry between them is good and they are likable, even Carl with his nihilism.I did not read the novel and I don't know if the screenwriter and the director were faithful or not to the written story, but in the movie there are points where I thought "Oh my ... how can it be possible?"SPOILER: How can Kimmie, a mentally troubled homeless woman that has been living in a dirty cart for years, transform herself in few hours into a club vamp dressed in fashion, with a perfect makeup and a blond wig, with no sign of her chronic psychotic behavior? This is beyond credibility, even considering scenic fiction.How can Kimmie overpower armed, strong and combat trained men fronting her? This happens four times: when ambushed in the cart, in her friend's house when she escapes Carl, in the detective apartment after the disco and last in the jail. Talk me about SuperHomelessWoman. Even this is beyond the credibility of scenic fiction.I do not understand why they did not try to make the whole thing more realistic or at last more believable.The story unfolds between past and present and I found some of the flashback scenes slightly disturbing as they show physical and psychological cruelties.This is a sad story without a real happy ending, but worth seeing despite its flaws.

Leofwine_draca THE ABSENT ONE is the second in the trilogy of DEPARTMENT Q films, Danish crime dramas based on novels. This Scandi-noir offering has all you'd expect from this particular genre: dark visuals, a gritty plot, a sinister back story that impinges on the present day, and some scruffy, downbeat detectives who refuse to give up the case no matter what.This film features an extensive back story involving a group of public school teenagers who get up to some dark deeds in the 1990s. It's hard-hitting and explicit stuff indeed, and the present-day storyline is just as intensive. These DEPARTMENT Q films benefit from strong production values, solid writing, good acting, and a general air of quality that makes them ones to watch for fans of the genre.

Reno Rangan A follow up to 'The Keeper of Lost Causes' based on the Danish crime-thriller novel of the same name in the original language. That one was a classy, a brilliant initiation in the 'Department Q' series. One of the best Scandinavian detective movie I have ever seen. I expected same energetic, caliber and suspenseful in this as well. But marginally disappointing, yet it stood and delivered to the previous film's standard.In this second episode, it was a murder mystery for Carl and Assad to crack it down. They did not choose it, the case did. It was a long pending affair in the department, since then the world has changed a lot. But the father of twins murdered who investigated privately leaves all the required evidence to the Department Q team. Now, where these two deeply dedicated detectives begin, how they dig it and whether they reach the other end of the investigation to uncover everything is the rest of the film.With a new target in the hands, the Department Q world expands further bigger than the first film. Takes us to the two decades earlier and narrates some of the key events by introducing new characters. So it also creates curiosity about the happenings around and sufficient suspense where it all went wrong. The prediction was not that hard, but without a clear picture of what happened, I simply failed to make a guess as I do always. The story holds everything back, that's a weak point, but very gripping with those thrilling going after scenes."I never met anyone as destructive as him."Too much of flashbacks might be the reason for movie to lose the original appeal. It reduced Carl and Assad's screen-space. It was good for this particular plot to develop the story and characters, but did not help what Department Q theme is known for. That was not at all, certainly it was a good story, I'm not arguing with that, but the presentation was not charming enough and the dearth of fine action sequences was a little setback which was absolutely necessary in the cop themed films.The movie was shot very well with maintaining the same tone from the first, along great performances by everyone. The difference between Carl and Assad remained, we should say it was maintained as it should be. In any two buddy cop movies, they are always antipodal characteristic. It was like a cliché, but brings the better outcome. These two guys together form a best homicide team in Copenhagen police department. Now the third character introduced in this part, a secretary who loosely hangs around, but out of the league from the perspective of story narration.Very much a Danish's answer to the Swedish's 'Dragon Tattoo' films. But in a way the two are not a comparable, if you do, then this one lacks in a long way. Because of the type of cop works are different with completely different universe and environment. After the first two films the director has changed for the third film, which is set to hit the screen in 2016. Hoping for 'A Conspiracy of Faith' to do much better than this one, because many more to follow if that succeeds.7½/10

kosmasp Seeking redemption or solace or anything remotely plain and silent after having done something horrible, is not easy. It even gets worse when the police digs up that past. Which is what happens here and our two main protagonists from the first novel (and especially the movie) are back on duty again.I haven't read the novels, but I did watch the first movie, which I can highly recommend. This isn't a bad affair either, but I can see people being a bit disappointed after that massive first movie. Still this is not only decent, but a very good crime movie, with twists flying your way every now and then. New leads, chases and guessing who did what and what could happen next. If you let yourself enjoy that ride, you'll be having a good movie experience - just not at the exact same level as the first one delivered