THE MAN FROM BEIJING

Germany/Sweden/Austria, 2011, 180 minutes, Colour.
Suzanne von Borsody, Michael Nyqvist, Claudia Michelsen, Amy Cheng, James Tanaeka.
Directed by Peter Keglevich.

The Man from Beijing is based on the novel by Hening Mankel. Mankel is a novelist with popularity, worldwide, not just in his native Sweden. He is most famous for his series of police novels featuring Inspector want under.

This film opens with a massacre in Sweden, mysterious, a suspect being Chinese swordsman. The film shows the police investigation but also involves a judge from Stockholm, in difficulties with her marriage, but finding that her parents have been killed in the massacre. She goes to the village, investigates on her own, interacts with the police investigator, and with the Chinese connection, including a massacre of the members of her extended family in the United states, she decides to go to Beijing.

In Beijing, there is a wealthy middle-aged man interested in Development – but who, it is revealed, is behind the massacres, employing one of his associates, a skilled martial arts swordsman, to go to Sweden as well as to the United States to massacre every member of the family. It eventually emerges, and is seen in sepia flashbacks, that one of the Swedes, a supervisor on the building of a railway line in Nevada in the 19th century, has been cruel to the Chinese, especially to a man and the violation of his wife who dies. The child escapes and later writes a history which comes into the possession of the man in China who vows to kill all members of the Swedish family.

The film has a strong central performance from Suzanne von Borsody as the judge, with Michael Nyqvist, ever more popular after The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and his appearing in international films.

The film was a German production, with an Austrian director – and it sometimes seems incongruous that everybody, including the Chinese, are speaking in German, but this is of the nature of international co-productions.

1. An interesting television film/series? The popularity of the work of Hening Mankel? The various film and television versions of his stories, especially Wallander?

2. The title, the focus, Sweden, the US, China? 21st century, back to the 19th century? The musical score?

3. The opening, the Swedish village, the buildings, the hotel, the police?

4. China, Biejing, offices and Development meetings, hotels and streets, police precincts, the airport?

5. The man with the camera, photographing the house, hurrying in the car, the crash? The police arriving, the initial search, discovering more bodies, the massacre, the police reactions, physical and psychological? The authorities arriving? The mystery, one person committing the crimes? The nature of the
sword?

6. The visuals early in the film, and unrolling the manuscript, the ribbon, tassle, the images of the sword? The sweeping of the sword?

7. The police, Vivi in charge, finding all the bodies, the massacre? The different buildings, people in their ordinary situations, dead? The search for motives? The chief of police, Vivi and her searching, coping, the physical reactions? The young police and their assistance?

8. The judge, at home, waking, her husband, the relationship? The documents for the divorce? In court, the rape charge, the victim in court, the accused and his getting out? The judge at her suggestion of an appeal?

9. The media, the television, the phone calls, news about her parents, going to the site? The protocols, staying in the hotel, the reactions of the manager? His video, prying and the records, his time in jail? The judge and her stay, the room, information about the Chinese man, the video evidence, going to the police?

10. The judge and her discussions with Vivi, the rules, the information available, the judge added visiting the house, seeing her parents, collecting evidence, going back to the hotel, the interactions with the manager and her threats to him? Vivi and her bonding with the judge, trying to help?

11. The judge and her family, the American connections, the massacre there? Connections with the police in the US, sending the information, the presence of the Chinese man?

12. The judge, her husband, the phone calls, his support? Her decision to go to China, arrival, her being met, the hotel, the police briefing? The discussions at the restaurant with the police?

13. China, the meeting, the International Development situation, guests from Africa and other countries? The brother, his being wealthy, supporting development? His sister, in the police? The clashes? The revelation that he was behind the killings, having the document, its recounting of the history, the Swedish cruelty, his ancestor and his wife, his vowing vengeance, commissioning the killer, death to the whole family?

14. The visualising of the past, the Chinese in Nevada, the building of the railroad, the cruelty of the Swedish supervisors? The worker, his brother being killed, the wife arriving, the child? The Swedish abuse, the woman dying, the writing of the document?

15. The judge and her stay, seeing the photos, the enquiries, her husband arriving?

16. The policewoman, her work, the staff, support, with her brother? Meetings with the judge?

17. The killer, his attacks, the visualising of his martial arts skills, with the judge and her husband, his being shot?

18. The professor, meeting the judge, giving information, declining to be involved politically, inviting the judge to the Museum, his explanations about the history, the Chinese in America? The documents? The ribbons? His being murdered?

19. The confrontation between brother and sister, pushing her over the parapet, her death?

20. The judge and her husband, going to the airport, being detained, the interrogations, the admissions of the truth, the issues of vengeance?

21. Forgiveness, possible? Vengeance? Atonement?