12. The Joker
It hasn't been too long since single mother Carina moved from Malmö to Ystad to take over a restaurant by the sea. One night, however, her past catches up with her: On the beach in front of her restaurant, the young woman is literally executed by a stranger. The only witness to the murder is Carina's young daughter Cleo, who withdraws completely from the shock and falls into a deep silence. Inspector Wallander takes up the investigation. Everything points to Carina's former employer, the Malmö pub king Hansson, being involved in the case.
Apparently Carina knew too much about Hansson's criminal activities - before her hasty departure from Malmö, she was even about to testify against him in court. So Wallander and his colleague Stefan Lindman travel to Malmö to put pressure on Hansson - to no avail: the arrogant half-world boss and his slick lawyer Lundkvist are not impressed by Wallander's accusations. There is only one way to prove that Hansson ordered the murder: The cops have to find the hired killer. With the help of city cop Frank Borg, Stefan begins to investigate the Malmö underworld. He is quickly confronted with Borg's brutal methods: The latter acts according to the motto that the only way to get to grips with the growing crime rate is to use the toughest, if necessary illegal, means. Although the level-headed Wallander is anything but enthusiastic about this approach, the rapid success of the investigation seems to prove Borg right - until a fatal incident occurs.
Actors
Kurt Wallander - Krister Henriksson
Linda Wallander - Johanna Sällström
Stefan Lindman- Ola Rapace
Ann-Britt Höglund - Angela Kovács
Martinsson - Douglas Johansson
Nyberg - Mats Bergman
Svartman - Fredrik Gunnarson
Lisa Holgersson - Chatarina Larson
Ebba - Marianne Mörck
Music: Adam Nordén
Photos: © Lars Høgsted