Mýrin 2006

Sam Adams, AV Club: The story hits too many familiar beats, but Kormakur flavors his familiar dish with beauty shots of Iceland's pitted landscape and the occasional cooked sheep's head. Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: Terrifically acted, expertly shot and painstakingly paced, Jar City investigates deeper, darker themes. And Erlendur is a reminder that homicide detectives don't save lives so much as exhume the meanings of violence. Read more

V.A. Musetto, New York Post: The story, based on a best-selling novel, has familiar overtones; but Kormakur overcomes them with stylish direction. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: Tremendously acted and shot with memorable confidence, Jar City deserves a much wider release than it's apparently going to get. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Director Baltasar Kormakur interweaves taciturn Scandinavian humor and morbid violence for a unique combination of flavors. Read more

Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out: The vision of Jar City is total and complete; fans of the thriller genre will thank the film for an infusion of ice-cold new blood. Read more

Trevor Johnston, Time Out: A satisfying, altogether distinctive piece of filmmaking. Read more

Eddie Cockrell, Variety: A taut police procedural that craftily blends ripped-from-the-headlines genetic issues with foreboding Icelandic stoicism, Jar City reps a supremely confident stride into mass-appeal genre fare for Icelandic hyphenate Baltasar Kormakur. Read more

Jim Ridley, Village Voice: [It] could pass for an episode of CSI: Reykjavik, only with less high-tech gimmickry, more pavement-pounding, and a head-clearing view of crime as anything but a cool diversion. Read more