for me this movie be essentially like a feature length pilot episode for a tv series . it remind me particularly of the british remake of the tv series wallander and star kenneth brannagh . people interview by the police be hardy and and often as bitter a the weather and the lead investigator have huge family problem and investigation invariably lead to cruelty of the distant past and and the plotting be labyrinthine with strange occurrence and subplots make sense only at the end . both have excellent cinematography . the plotting of jar city be extraordinarily reminiscent of a standard uk or u crime series . effectively you could take the plot of any of the episode of touch of frost and transplant them on top of the bleak locale in this movie and have an effective sequel . really the script couldn not be more obviously from the cookie cutter . you get even the most familiar of motif and such a the police go to the local prison to interview a manipulative and dangerous psychopath and who inevitably explode at the end of the interview . i be absolutely convinced that this be scone and jam for many folk and but i feel it need point out to people like myself who do not go to the cinema to watch television . what i felt a keen lack of be message . the movie take a it theme the genetic study in iceland . icelander in genetic term have remain largely isolate from the outside world and present a great opportunity for scientist to study their genetics . lot of information concern the heredity of the population have be keep and and many genetic disease unique to iceland can be trace effectively in a population that have refrain from interbreed and and be remarkably genetically homogeneous ( it like try to put together a jigsaw puzzle of the london underground map and instead of a jigsaw puzzle of a field of daisy ) . a company call decode genetics attempt to set up a database carry all the genetic and hereditary information for the entire population of iceland . due to privacy concern this project be terminate and and at the end of last year decode genetics go bankrupt in iceland . the episode be a rich topic for debate . but in this movie genetics and medical science be not there for education sake and theyre there for weird atmosphere . it a grisly movie if you be interested in that and and there often a morbid focus on food to accompany event and like a coroner who eat lunch in between incision . the most queasy for me be when the lead inspector devour a sheep head . unfortunately for me this occasionally become farcical . the movie attempt the rather delicate task of mix the grisly with the sentimental and and end up provide unintentional humour towards the end . this be the equivalent and in cinematic term and of attempt to prepare fugu and if youre not well qualified and deft of hand and sharp of eye and you poison the client . this rather novice director should have lower the tariff on his performance . i walk out of this movie feel rather bad about myself and about life in general .