The Third Wave (2003) User Reviews

Pretty classy

[sarastro7 · 7/10 · 1 December 2004]

Sweden has a literary tradition of very high-quality political crime and action thrillers, starring heroes like Martin Beck, Carl Hamilton - and Johan Falk. All of them have been turned into movies, and the latest trilogy with Johan Falk - Noll Tolerans, Livvakterna and Den Tredje Vågen - continues the honor roll. These are very well-produced and exciting action movies; certainly impressive by any Scandinavian standard.

They are not perfect, though. Good as they are, they are marred by formulaic elements, like extremely evil bad guys who always threaten to beat and/or kill women, which is "the easy way" for a writer to show how evil the bad guys are. As a result, the realism suffers. The third movie in particular also gets unrealistic in the dramatic finale, with Helén (Falk's girlfriend, mostly an innocent bystander) suddenly turning into an expert pickpocket and "undercover operative". The massive riots in Munich were also a bit over the top, I thought, and not really necessary for the story, except to allow the writer to avoid having Falk do all the dirty work of disposing of the bad guys.

But even so, these movies are highly entertaining and well worth watching. The movies get progressively better, building excitement as they go. The independent security force in Livvakterna was very cool, and the international action in Den Tredje Vågen, with Nicholas Farrell's well-acted character switching sides because he's all integrity, was very satisfying.

7 out of 10.

Surprisingly Good Swedish-British Thriller

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 11 March 2006]

In The Hague, Holland, the new chief of Europol Sellberg (Lennart Hjulström) broadcasts a tough speech against the third wave of crimes in Europe, promising to suffocate the schemes of powerful criminals. He invites his former detective and friend Johan Falk (Jakob Eklund) for a meeting, with the intention to join him to his team. Meanwhile, the executive Rebecca (Irina Björklund) accidentally opens one correspondence of her mate, Kane (Ben Pullen), and finds that he cleans illegal money for European mobsters. When she decides to disclose her discoveries to Europol, his life is jeopardized by the associates of her boy-friend, but Rebecca is rescued by Johan. They have to fight against the organized crime to save their lives and Johan's family.

I decided to watch "Den Tredje Vågen" on video to kill time in the rainy Saturday's afternoon in Rio de Janeiro. I love European movies, but due to the lack of tradition in the action genre, I had minor expectation with this film. However, this movie is a surprisingly good Swedish-British thriller, full of action and usual exaggeration of the Hollywood films. The absolutely unknown cast has great performances, the Swedish Irina Björklund is very gorgeous and "Den Tredje Vågen" is an excellent entertainment. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Garras da Corrupção" ("Claws of the Corruption")

The bar has been raised

[Antagonisten · 6/10 · 26 April 2005]

Swedish action movies. Taste those words put together like that. It just doesn't taste right. Or, at least that is what i used to think. Anders Nilsson has forced me to at least in part reconsider my stance on Swedish action movies with his trilogy about the hard-case Johan Falk.

Usually the problem with Swedish action-movies consist of three things: (1) Hollywood complex. It seems that most Swedish directors have seen too many Hollywood action-movies without realizing that they need a budget to emulate that style. (2) The budget. Closely linked to the first point. Swedish movies simply don't have the budget for full-fledged action-scenes. (3) Stefan Sauk. I don't know HOW the man does it, but it seems he uses some kind of supernatural power to force EVERY director in Sweden to cast him in their action movies. Except for Anders Nilsson who stays away from Sauk mercifully enough.

Readers might already be acquainted with Anders Nilssons film-making from the first two installments in this trilogy. I can start off by saying that this movie is far superior to both the previous films. The technical quality, the acting and the action are all much more refined. This is without a doubt the best action movie to come out of Sweden for a very long time. Perhaps the best ever?

So what makes this such a great movie? Well first of all it seems Anders Nilsson manages to keep his Hollywood-complex in check. It seems he knows that he can't have two hours of intense action so instead he goes for a better approach. The action scenes are few and far between, but well made when they DO happen. Also he doesn't hesitate to use foreign actors which feels like something more Swedish directors should do. It adds substantially to the realism of the movie. Last but not least the script feels properly worked through. Many times scripts for Swedish movies feel unfinished and filled with strange plot-holes and nonsensical twists. This is at least one step up in quality from most others.

In the end this finally feels like a Swedish action movie that people outside of Sweden can actually enjoy. That the budget is still well below 5 million USD shows of course, but the money is used wisely and this is an enjoyable experience. Hopefully other Swedish directors now understand that the bar has been raised. I rate this 6/10.

Europol. Eurosec. Euronoia?

[suchenwi · 20 June 2007]

This is quite a fascinating movie. These days it came as add-on with TVmovie magazine (Germany), which lowers the threshold to get it for EUR 3.50.

It's documented as a Swedish/Finnish co-production. I didn't see a Finnish angle, but the Swedish is strong, even though the movie hardly ever plays in Sweden: the hero and family, as well as Rebecca the heroine, and Sellberg the short-lived commander, and the female officer in Göteborg, all come from there.

Action happens in UK, Netherlands, Germany, going south (from Swedish point of view) ever more. And going badder. "There's no place like home" (Sweden: for feeling secure, or burying commanders), and all other Europe is a battleground between toothless Europol and privatized security firm EuroSec (which in London has 20 times worth the equipment of City Police).

I felt scared by the seemingly uncontrollable powers of EuroSec (and their runaways). If this corporate security firm can overwhelm police, a fundamental concept breaks away. In the end, the bad guys lose. But will something like this happen again? You bet...

Certainly not a perfect movie, but very thought-provoking. The Munich riot was over-the-top, as mentioned before, but seems to get closer to the reality of EU/G8/... summits (rubber bullets are still only discussed, but not used by German police yet). I can at least recommend this to European viewers: a decent action movie with deeper context.

Slick Police State Propaganda

[steven-222 · 5/10 · 2 August 2013]

At first glance, you might think the Johan Falk series was some sort of libertarian fantasy--intrepid lone hero breaks all the petty rules of society to struggle against titanic forces of evil. But of course it's just the opposite--John Falk is slick propaganda for a police state.

Why does Johan have to be the lone hero in the first place? Because the powers of law and order are hobbled by all those silly rules of due process and civil liberties, and the only answer (as the stories repeatedly assert) must be a huge increase in the surveillance, regulatory, and policing power of the state. Take that, Ayn Rand! To be sure, the shows are extremely well made, with lots of action, fancy houses, and hot actors. And also lots of hokum about the takeover of Europe by criminal forces, which will justify our only salvation, a total police state. (Do not even whisper the word "Fascism," or Johan will ridicule you as politically correct eunuch.) I hear this is Dick Cheney's favorite show. He probably watches it on his local state-funded "liberal" PBS station.

A great movie

[brumby058 · 9/10 · 4 June 2007]

I've just seen this movie tonight on Melbourne's SBS TV channel and had to see what others had thought of it (a pity the professional reviews are all in languages other than English). No matter. While it took a while for the plot to get going, I was engrossed from the beginning. It's great to see non-Hollywood actors (who can also act) in a good movie. For me, seeing unfamiliar faces in a thriller/drama adds to its impact, which doesn't often happen when I see so-called Hollywood "stars" who just can't forget their "star" quality... (eg Cage, Cruise).

Some of the events in The Third Wave relied a little too much on coincidence to be believable, especially toward the end. And the Munich riots in the last section were rather "over the top" (I thought I was watching 28 Days Later at one point) - it was reassuring to read others' comments that such wild behaviour wasn't typical of protests in Munich.

Nevertheless I was totally involved - I initially didn't have a clue who was to be trusted (thanks to a good script) - and the film's overall quality warranted my forgiving its unlikely coincidences.

Great start, trashy ending

[hartmutw · 5/10 · 7 November 2006]

My summary says it all: I accidentally switched to that movie on TV and got intrigued by the sinister atmosphere and some compelling characters.

However, the movie loses much of its drive, ambition and suspense in the chaotic and over-the-top showdown, where literally everybody gets randomly shot and a clear plot is not in sight anymore. In addition, the violent demos that serve as a welcome excuse for chaos never would happen that heavily in any Western European city - pure science-fiction. One of the weakest showdowns I have seen in a while, which is a shame for such a great beginning.

Best in the trilogy

[thrix · 8/10 · 22 May 2004]

The top-budget Swedish movie of all time- "The third wave", with a budget of ~35 million SEK (errh some $4.5 million...) scores well for a Swedish action movie. It's predecessors is among the top of the later years' movies and "Third wave" continues the work of art. Jacob Eklund is as before excellent in his role as Johan Falk, we have a tight script and the plot is both interesting and somewhat applicable to reality. Of course there are some flaws, and the storyline gets a little messy at times, but overall I was very satisfied and I am happy that the capacity is there for making high-class movies although the budgets compared to US numbers are substantially smaller. it also proves that money does not equal quality. 8/10

A horrible ending to a decent series.

[opuschen · 3/10 · 15 October 2003]

The first movies in this series all had a focus in Sweden, and in Swedish culture. This last instalment leaves the Swedish focus, and makes it in to a European thriller instead. While this can lay a basis for a far greater funding, it also makes the film less appealing to Swedish viewers, in that it sets it self up for comparison with other movies with far greater funding, for instance the Bourne Identity. I am sad to say that the story is confusing, the audience laughed quite often when there obviously was no humour involved. And, worst of all, around me people fell to sleep. And this was during a quite loud action movie. If you really want to see a good Swedish movie, see `Smala Sussi', or `Ondskan', better still, see both. Keep away from this movie until you can see it for free on TV.

A strong European action-thriller.

[jjgeurtsen · 8/10 · 10 November 2004]

"The Third Wave" is a strong European action-thriller that can measure itself with almost every American production.

Organized crime is becoming a bigger and bigger problem in Europe and the newly appointed leader of the international police force Europol is determined to attack the criminals head on. Unfortunately he himself is killed when three professional hit men try to kill Rebecca, a young woman who had fled England to get away from her very powerful 'white collar' criminal husband. The Swedish inspector Johan Falk (a former colleague of the assassinated Europol-leader) witnesses the hit. He kills one of the hit men and flees the scene Rebecca. Now Johan, Rebecca and Johan's wife and daughter are in danger and because they don't know who to trust, their first priority is just to stay alive.

As said, "The Third Wave' is a good film for a broad audience. The story gave the filmmakers the opportunity to put in a lot of action and because of that, is has become a fast film that doesn't have any weak moments. There are 5 different languages involved, but (with subtitles)it doesn't feel like a foreign film. You won't be able to see it in theaters, so you'll have to look for it at your local videostore.

The best of the three movies!

[spiken · 10/10 · 24 October 2003]

Absolutely better than Noll Tollerans and Livvakterna (swedish). This movie is very exiting and has a lot of action in it, witch is quite uncommon in swedish films. The actors/actresses is very good and the ending is very unexpected. See it today!

Very up-to-date

[justusdallmer · 15 September 2004]

The movie takes "organized crime" as topic and is very up to date. If you read Jean Ziegler's book (published 1998 in Geneva - I don't know the original or the English title), you know what the film is talking about. It is about the modern form of economics, the modern way to make money: by stealing taxes, using capital markets, tax havens, private police forces... the main "Baddie" studied at the London School of Economics. Obviously it was there where he learnt to make money by stealing power from the people or democratic governments, using corrupt banks and secret accounts.

The film uses the struggle of grassroots movements and NGO's as a background: the end of the film takes part WITHIN a demonstration against globalization, which takes place in Munich, the city of the REAL annual "NATO Security Conference" - annual demonstrations included. While the movie describes properly the mechanism of the modern capital markets - organized crime being a regular part of them - the Munich demonstrations are not shown correctly. I live nearby and watch them each year. There is much more police, which is armed heavier, and which is the only violent force on the streets, always being able to suppress any non-peaceful protest. Violent protest, as shown in the film, is not possible in Munich. During the Nato Conference, Munich seems to be a totalitarian Banana Republic. And there is absolutely no way to get near the conference hotels, if you are not invited. Believe me, the demonstrators try it each year...

But the capital markets are not affected. What the film is not telling you - as it is first and foremost an action movie: the problem are not certain human beings, who are criminals: the problem is the structure of the system (capital markets), which allows criminal behavior - which even DEMANDS criminal behavior to be successful. In this system you have to choose between having success or having moral values.

good one!

[David-Kappel · 8/10 · 20 June 2007]

I bought "Third Wave" for 3 € and did not expect too much. But surprisingly this movie was really fun to watch!

The start is a little to slow but after that the movie is fast and full of action. Of course one should not expect the sort of action scenes one can find in Casino Royale or any Hollywood blockbuster. But these realistic action scenes do add to the tension the movie creates. The many changes of location didn't seem to be in the movie just for the sake of it as it appears in many Hollywood action movies within the beginning.

The acting wasn't over the top but the actors still did a good job. Maybe it just felt that way coz I watched the German dubbed version.

The one thing I did not like that much was the ending. The final just takes a little too long and seems exaggerated - (Especially as I am German and I wonder what people will think of the situation in Munich after having seen this movie,haha!)

All in all a very good movie though!

Inside view.....

[jeb_feer · 10/10 · 9 October 2003]

Ok I'm a bit biased but the movie rules. I worked on the movie when it filmed in the towns of Trollhättan and Vanersborg. Not that you'd recognise it though. The viewer will see it as Germany and red light districts. Joakim and Anders deserve alot of credit for the long nights of filming and Jakob is a great guy.

As far as the movie goes what can I say. Check out the excellent smoke I was responsible for (Hehehehehe ego ego ego ego ego ego). It's an action movie, full of guns chases and other stuff, all professionally done.

Check out Livvakterna too for some EXCELLENT car-chases.

A plot to terrorise Europe.

[dy158 · 8/10 · 8 April 2007]

Sellburg is the new chief of Europol (the European Union police force). In his first press conference to the media in the headquarters in The Hague, Holland, he put a tough stance on what he thinks is terrorising Europe - organised crimes.

Meanwhile in London, Rebecca accidentally found a letter which was being addressed to her boyfriend Kane. When she realises that he could be involved in shady deals, she decided to contact Europol about this. But Kane found out and wanted to kill her, which eventually left him injured and admitted to the hospital instead. It was there Rebecca saw the news from the television about what the new chief of Europol is setting out to do.

In Sweden, former detective Johan Falk saw the news of his former colleague addressing the media in The Hague. He had received word from Sellburg to be part of his team. So he and his family set out for The Hague to meet him.

Back in London, once the British police had managed to track down of Kane's upcoming activities, they informed Rebecca about it as she had wanted to know what is her boyfriend really up to. But what she never realised is that his boyfriend's men is tracing her move to meet the new Europol chief in Holland.

And it was there, everyone's lives intertwined together. A plot to terrorise the entire European continent, and who will be the one to save the day?

I usually don't watch these kind of films, but then I gave it a try when it was on the TV here. It's definitely suspenseful, almost to the end of it.

Painfully outdated conspiracy theories

[gilknut · 16 August 2015]

It's important to note, when looking at the reviews and comments on this movie, that nearly all of them were written more than a decade ago. At the time, news media and the entertainment industry were just waking up to the new crime waves from Eastern Europe, and speculations and predictions were wildly out of proportion. This movie is a good example of that, and while it probably seemed somewhat realistic at the time, watching it for the first time 12 years later means almost two hours of facepalming.

Another funny thing is that of this first trilogy of Johan Falk movies, only the first one holds up today. "Noll tolerans" was a tight, domestic thriller, and while suffering from some genre clichés, it could very nearly have been produced today. The next two, "Livvakterna" and this one, simply come across as sensationalist speculations run amok. Wildly inaccurate numbers and absurd conjecture are painfully present throughout. Yes, financial organized crime was and is of course a large and real international problem, but neither the European governments or society as we know it fell, as this movie would have us believe. If you're just getting into the Johan Falk movies, I'd recommend you watch the first one and then move on to the 2009 installments. This initial trilogy is in many ways a set of relatively well made thrillers, but their wildly distorted look at contemporary events come across as mostly embarrassing today.