Another night of ‘Wallander’

Thank Buddha for DVR. I’m watching the second in the “Wallander” series, which I taped off channel 26, Idaho Public Television . This one is “Firewall,” which is based on the Swedish writer Henning Mankell ’s 1998 novel.

I’m still bothered by the fact that, though the setting is supposed to be Sweden, the actors are all so determinedly English. Especially Kenneth Branagh, who plays the title character, police inspector Kurt Wallander.

I think Stellan Skarsgaard would have been a far better choice. Of course, the way these things are done the project might never have been made without Branagh in the lead.

This one starts with a murder, includes another couple of murders, a police-approved illegal computer hacking, Wallander going on a blind date … and an essential kind of betrayal. In other words, it’s a full range of plot developments.

“Panic, chaos.” Just the thing for a “poet detective.”