Review of Kronvittnet

Kronvittnet (1989)
6/10
Love, trust, betrayal and death - a classic who-dunnit movie!
21 September 2023
The story, overall, is simple: The investigation of a disappearance of a beautiful young girl.

The screen time is shared almost equally between the three main characters: the man accused of the possible murder, his wife, and the lead detective.

In detail it goes deeper into the triangle of characters inner feelings - their trust, feel of betrayals and their self-belief.

The man is seemingly introvert (which is frustrating at times to watch - we just want him to spill the beans!), the wife and then the detective - who are both victims of the circumstances. One by the longing for a family life, the other lacking the need of feeling loved.

Anyhow, the main reason this movie is rated low on IMDB - at least in my view - is because during a key trial/law processing scene, towards the end of the move, a suspects is being released from custody without us watching really having a chance to understand why.. No real identified reason is declared.

Instead the movie cuts to the final minutes of the suspence "who-dunnit"-scenes and the whole mystery is unraveled - simultaneously we, the audience, are unsure if what is happening on-screen is a throwback/dream sequence - or the actual ending.

!! A huge mistake !!

This major flaw aside, the acting is really good. Especially by the legends (in a Swedish context): Gösta Ekman and Marika Lagercrantz.

Storywise, neglecting the mistake mentioned above, it is really good.

Bet the actual novel the story is based upon is a thriller worth reading!

Overall, a low budget movie with actors performing at a top level.

Would have been rated 8, without the major oversight in the editing/directing mentioned above. Now 7/10...
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