The Killing
2011
Original language: English
- drama
- crime
- mystery
The story
The Killing is an American crime drama television series based upon the Danish television series Forbrydelsen. Set in Seattle, Washington, the series follows the various murder investigations by homicide detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder.
What it’s like
Rain-soaked Seattle rendered in cold, desaturated blues and greys, with overcast daylight leaking through office blinds and dim, sodium-lit interiors where the city never quite feels warm. The camera stays close and unhurried on faces, lingering on wet streets, sodden forests and damp sweaters, while the score is sparse and brooding, often just a low synth drone that swells under long silences. It is a slow-burn mystery with a melancholy, grinding tone, its pace deliberately dragging through interviews, rain-dark evenings and stalled leads, with occasional bursts of rough energy. Violence happens off-screen or in restrained aftermath, but the subject is a child's murder and the dread is heavy, with some drug use, sexual menace and grief shown plainly. Its emotional core is a withdrawn, obsessive detective and her partner slowly eroding under the case, and the political campaign plotline adds a sour, corrupt edge. Suited to long, rainy evenings when you want a bleak, absorbing investigation and can handle sustained sadness rather than anything gentle.
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