Forbrydelsens element

May 14 1984 Not Rated 1h 44m
Crime, Drama, Thriller

Fisher, an ex-detective, decides to take one final case when a mysterious serial killer claims the lives of several young girls. Fisher, unable to find the culprit, turns to Osbourne, a writer who was once respected for his contributions to the field of criminology. Fisher begins to use Osbourne's technique, which involves empathizing with serial killers; however, as the detective becomes increasingly engrossed in this method, things take a disturbing turn.

Plot

Fisher, an ex-cop, returns to his old beat somewhere in northern Europe after a thirteen-year hiatus in Cairo. His former mentor and role model, author of a treatise called "The Element of Crime", asks him to solve a series of murders involving lottery ticket sellers. Guided by the theories put forth in the book, Fischer retraces the steps of a suspect, Harry Grey, as recorded in a three-year-old police surveillance report.

Written by

Lars von Trier, Niels Vørsel, William Quarshie

Directed by

Lars von Trier

Cast

Michael Elphick, Esmond Knight, Me Me Lai

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

Denmark

Production Companies

Per Holst Filmproduktion, Det Danske Filminstitut

Languages

English

Awards

12 wins & 3 nominations total

Trailers
The Element of Crime (Forbrydelsens Element) - Trailer 1984
Scores
# of Votes
11,710
Average Rating
6.7 out of 10
Metascore
66
Popularity
NA