Cast:
Joel Rinne (Inspector Frans J. Palmu), Matti Ranin (Detective Toivo Virta), Leo Jokela (Detective Väinö Kokki), Jussi Jurkka (Bruno Rygseck), Saara Ranin (Amalia Rygseck), Elina Salo (Airi Rykämö), Pentti Siimes (Aimo Rykämö), Leevi Kuuranne (Veijonen), Elina Pohjanpää (Irma Vanne), and Matti Oravisto (Erik Vaara) Directed by Matti Kassila.
Review:
I'm sure are familiar with the closed room mystery type of novel. The film was released in its native country of Finland as Komisario Palmun erehdys, but it is known by various titles in different countries such as "Mysteriet Rygseck" in Swedish (the second of the two recognized languages in the country) along with varying international titles such as "Inspector Palmu's Mistake", "Inspector Palmu's Error", and "The Rygseck Mystery". At any rate, however you put it, the movie is based on the 1940 novel of the same name by Mika Waltari (one of the most prolific Finnish writers of his time), which was actually the second of three mystery novels that Waltari had wrote with the main character of Inspector Palmu. It was written in adaptation by Matti Kassila and Kaarlo Nuorvala. Kassila was a regular presence in directing for his native Finland since the 1950s, although his Palmu features are the ones most known in a career that spanned multiple decades before his death in 2018. Two further adaptations of the Waltari works followed with Gas, Inspector Palmu! (1961) and The Stars Will Tell, Inspector Palmu (1962) that involved Kasilla directing each one with Rinne as star; Kasilla and Rinne returned for a contemporary attempt an Inspector story that had no involvement of Waltari with Vodka, Inspector Palmu (1969), which is also the only one shot in color. Perhaps not surprisingly, it is called one of the most popular films in its native Finland.
In a sense, there is a tinge of humor within this mystery film, if only because of the sheer audacity that comes in the belief that a man slipping on a bar of soap to their death is just not as likely as the possibility of murder. Anyone familiar with ensemble mysteries will probably feel at home here, as it pulls all of the punches that I'm sure you can be quite familiar and comfortable with. It muddles the line of the macabre without turning into complete farce, which eventually results in a pretty good time for those with the patience. It probably helps that the ensemble around Rinne involves one-note characters (with small little characteristics, like, uh, a mole on the face) that fit around the narrative needed in red herrings and twists running into (or through) a wall. In short, the rich can drag themselves into puddles of greed and deceit just like the rest of us. Rinne had been a regular actor in films for multiple decades and was in his sixties when it came time to the role that basically became his most iconic. He is quite sharp here is the detailed sense that comes with inspecting the very nature of what is important beyond what looks obvious on the surface, which I'm sure you know best from other various detectives of film and beyond, but it doesn't come off as just a bland pastiche or parody with our grumpy but dutiful lead. He talks straight to the line of what he is thinking, whether that is in general conversation or in pursuit. M. Ranin and Jokela accompany our lead with general interest in relief, which works out just fine for what is needed, while the ensemble of offbeats do relatively fine as stagepieces to the mystery, most notably with the dodgy S. Ranin or with the suitable cad (and first victim) in Jurkka. As a whole, it makes for a suitable 103-minute feature in general engagement as a mystery that left a clear mark in Finnish cinema for those who saw it first and have seen it in the half-century since because of its general consistency in mystery.
Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.
Next up: Hungary, 1960s style.
No comments:
Post a Comment