The Element of Crime

The Element of Crime (1984)

  • 77% of critics liked it
    (13 reviews)

  • 71% of users liked it
    (4,724 ratings)

A detective plagued by headaches goes to a hypnotist and relives his investigation into a serial killer case in Lars von Trier's first feature, The Element of Crime. Fisher (Michael Elphick), a retired policeman, returns to Europe at the behest of his mentor, Osborne (Esmond Knight of The Red… More

Unrated,
Directed By
Written By
Niels Vørsel, William Quarshie
Genres
Drama, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense
In Theaters
Jan 1, 1984 Wide
On DVD
Sep 19, 2000
Criterion Collection

Critic Reviews

  • Jay Antani, Cinema Writer

    Nearly incomprehensible but stylistically dazzling

  • Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks

    More than diverting, with entrancing production design, but not as fully realized as later Von Trier.

  • Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

    A cinephile's delight.

  • James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk

    an utterly mesmerizing and completely disjointed crime thriller that is more about tone and style than it is about its fragmented narrative

  • Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

    That old predicament of too much style, not enough substance.

Read all 6 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Coxxie M


    element of crime is one of the

  • Veronique K


    i confess the only reason i have owned this dvd was because my good friend is a big fan of lars von trier, whose "dogville" was practically his only work i had seen before this one. i was not particularly infatuated with the "unique" way dogville was made, so… More

  • Drew S


    Whoo, what a slog. I love that Lars von Trier has the potential to make such challenging work, and I found The Element of Crime to be wholly compelling, but its total inscrutability and unwillingness to give its audience any sort of satisfaction makes it a harsh viewing experience.… More

  • Anthony L


    An astonishing debut from Von Trier. There are a few obvious influences here but nothing compered to the amount of films and directors who have obviously been influenced by it. I believe The Element of Crime truly changed cinema and was way ahead of it's time (Jeunet's… More

  • Eric B


    I have seen and enjoyed all sorts of "difficult" films (check some of the other titles I've rated), but If "The Element of Crime" had caused me one more smidge of boredom or exasperation, I wouldn't have been able to sit through it. I stopped caring what… More

Read all 8 featured audience ratings

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Cast

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