Man on the Roof (1976) Mannen på taket

Director: Bo Widerberg
Writers: Maj Sjöwall (novel) (as Sjöwall), Per Wahlöö (novel) (as Wahlöö)
Stars: Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt, Sven Wollter, Thomas Hellberg

Police lieutenant Nyman is murdered in his hospital bed and Martin Beck and his colleagues have another murder to solve. They discover that Nyman was a very tough policeman who received several complaints about his methods. His partner Hult defends him against these accusations, while Nyman's widow explains that Hult was the only one outside of the family who knew where Nyman was hospitalized. It becomes obvious to Beck, that a lot of people wanted Nyman dead, but he is not the only one targeted. Soon a sniper kills policemen from a roof in central Stockholm.

This is probably the best film ever made in Sweden. It is unsurpassed in its effectiveness, from the performances, the 70's style semidocumentary storytelling and the editing. It owes a lot to the american masterpieces of that era like French Connection and The Seven-Ups. These types of gritty real police thrillers are a lost art, I wish someone would reinvent them soon.

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