"The Ideal Culprit": the incredible story of the Swedish Hannibal Lecter

He has long been considered the Swedish “Hannibal Lecter”.

Between 1994 and 2001, Sture Bergwall - who also called himself Thomas Quick - was convicted of the savage murders of eight people.

And he confessed to twenty-five others in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.

But in 2008, while Scandinavia's most feared criminal is still in a mental hospital, a journalist decides to re-examine all the murders… and discovers the biggest legal scandal in Swedish history.

It is this counter-investigation which is told in the captivating and chilling "The Ideal Guilty", directed by the Swedish Mikael Håfström and released this Wednesday on VOD.

The filmmaker had signed the Hollywood horror films “Room 1408” and “The Rite” with Anthony Hopkins or “Evasion”, a prison thriller with Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

But to stage this thriller inspired by a true story, this time he is making an entirely Swedish production with very sober actors, stubborn and unaffected characters and dark sets in metallic colors.

When 'The Ideal Culprit' begins, investigative journalist Hannes Råstam decides to buy a book on the 'Thomas Quick Affair'.

However, by dissecting the murders one by one, he realizes that nothing sticks: the victims of Quick do not have the same sex, not the same age, the operating methods and the motives are never identical ... Quick would be- is he the only serial killer to act outside any "canvas"?

Råstam does not believe it.

Especially since there is no evidence against him on any of the murders.

So the journalist will re-interview Bergwall / Quick and trace the thread of each of the investigations.

He will bring to light a vast masquerade, orchestrated in particular by twisted psychologists ... "The Ideal Culprit" delivers a fascinating story, punctuated by a countdown which urges Råstam in his research.

And he questions in passing on the functioning of a justice which likes nothing so much as to have an "ideal culprit".

EDITOR'S RATING: 4/5

“The Ideal Guilty”

, Swedish thriller by Mikael Håfström.

With Jonas Karlsson, David Dencik, Alba August… 2h11.

Available in VOD on all platforms in VOST and in VF.