The Investigation Review – Riveting Account of Kim Wall Murder Investigation Captured in Dramatic Mini-Series

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Category: Streaming, Cable

Published on Monday, 25 January 2021 17:27

Written by Janet Walker

The Investigation, from HBO and Warner Media, presents a harrowing story into the investigation of the murder of Kim Wall, the Swedish Journalist slaughtered while on assignment, and the team of detectives dedicated to finding the truth.

Spread over six episodes, The Investigation begins in a Copenhagen courtroom, where Prosecutor Jakob Buch-Jepsen, played by Pilou Asbæk, is in his final argument for a random murder. Sitting in the courtroom Copenhagen Chief of Police, Jens Møller, played by Søren Malling. The verdict leaves both dismayed.

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The next morning Møller meets with his detectives. A slow day in Copenhagen, a few random crimes, a rape victim, and a bizarre sinking of a homemade submarine with a few equally obscure details. The sub and a missing Journalist, Kim Wall, quickly become tied together.

Hans Henrik Clemensen, Soren Malling, Laura Christensen, Dulfi Al-Jabouri/Photo credit: Per Arnesen/HBO

As the laws are somewhat different, after the accused (and for viewers, the convicted murderer will never be identified by name within the series), provided the detectives with an account. They felt they could hold him for four weeks on manslaughter.

Told from the perspective of the Chief of Police, Jens Møller, we follow his life, and his investigation. The initial account provided by the accused begins to unravel and once he is notified, they will be raising the sub, and as is allowed in Denmark, he changes his story to cover the fact that the detectives will find traces of blood inside.

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As most viewers are aware of the outcome, each step in the investigation is compelling. The first real break in the case comes when the torso of Ms. Wall is found. After the autopsy, which did not reveal the cause of death, we understand that she was tortured and had suffered 17 stab wounds and scratches on her torso, none of which killed her.

Without the remainder of her body parts surfacing, convicting the accused and securing a life sentence would be difficult. Over the next two weeks, the police divers, headed by Lars Møller, played by Henrik Birch, searched 240 hours under the Koge Bay looking for her.

Throughout this investigation, of course as Ms. Wall is dead, and as stories of the accused exploring sexually deviant boundaries and attending BDSM parties became media fodder, for a moment irresponsible tabloid journalists, tried to soil her reputation also.

Rolf Lassgard, Pernilla August/ Photo credit: Per Arnesen/HBO

With Jens in constant contact with Kim’s parents, Ingrid and Joachim Wall played by Pernilla August and Rolf Lassgard, the investigation is assisted by Swedish cadaver dogs who are trained to find bodies under the surface of the ocean.

Jens understand the world based on facts, and as it stands, no cause of death can be established from the few facts they have. Assumption, personal belief, plausible, and a scenario that clearly works, all true and without the facts, the cause of death and her remains, it would be nearly impossible to secure a life sentence.

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Finally, they bring in the Swedish cadaver dogs, the Royal Navy and an Oceanographer who is an expert in ocean currents and the Koge Bay. With a search grid based on where the sub sank, after consulting with the expert he provided essentially an algorithm for discovering the possible location of the missing body parts.

Photo credit: Per Arnesen/HBO

The Investigation is extremely compelling. Told from a vantage point of inside the detective’s room, where motive is determined based on the evidence, where dedicated detectives work tirelessly, leaving no source unchecked, refusing to allow ambiguous statements to stand and not blaming the victim. Ensuring the truth, as they believed, and the facts dictated, are proven.

The tediousness presented in The Investigation is intriguing, uncommon, and refreshing. Gripping and engrossing, the story is well told, riveting, and revealing. The Investigation is available for streaming on HBOMAX beginning February 1, 2021. See it.

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Country: Sweden.

Running time: Six Episodes/45miuutes.

Language: Danish with English Subtitles.

Director: Tobias Lindholm.

Screenplay: Tobias Lindholm.

Cast: Soren Malling, Pilou Asbæk, Hans Henrik Clemensen, Laura Christensen, Dulfi Al-Jabouri, Rolf Lassgard, Pernilla August, Henning Valin Jakobsen, Henrik Birch, Josephine Park.

Kim Wall was an award-winning Columbia University educated journalist.