It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

If you enjoy reading Henning Mankell, you'll love this. The characters felt real and the plot unfolded just as I hoped it would. I also think the screenplay writer did an amazing job of bringing the screenplay down to a manageable size, otherwise this two part mini-series would have gone to more than six hours.This adaptation captures the original feelings and focus of the novel, the actors did a good job, and the director had a firm grasp of the material and how to best present it.I completely enjoyed watching this in one sitting, and the slightly more than 3 hours just seemed to fly by. I have no hesitation recommending this to you at all.Now I'm looking forward to rereading the novel again, followed by another viewing of the film.

The first absurd thing about this Swedish TV Movie is the English title; instead for The Chinese, they called The Man from Beijing; even when the Chinese part happens in Canton. The movie starts promising a lot of people (about 19) killed by a sword in a small Swedish town. All belonging to the same family. A female judge blood related with the family goes to the town to find out what happens. Well that takes about 10 minutes to develop but the movie stretches the plot for almost 90 minutes by filling with unnecessary scenes, long and empty dialog and some back flashes of something that happened 165 years ago. It is around the 90+ minutes mark that something interesting (but really absurdly handled) happens. End of Chapter 1. Chapter 2 then moves the action to Canton and things go for worse. Nothing makes sense and the motives are not even believable by the characters. The subplot about corruption has little to do with the rest of the movie. I do not know; perhaps Chinese got a different version more focused on more interesting matters; but this one is really boring and makes very little sense.Even great actors like Michael Nyqvist (the original from the Girl with the Dragoon Tattoo can do anything on a character so underwritten that is almost non-existing). In brief; unless you want to have a nap with the TV on avoid it.

I have no idea what the other reviewers were doing while this movie was on but none seem to have watched it. I have come to expect great things form the movies that Michael Nyqvist is in. This one is no exception. It deals with an event that is so believable, I'd bet it is a depiction of an actual event.The movie is a treatment of a single historical event that many of us did not get in school - the building of the Central Pacific Railway! Since I live near Truckee and Reno, it was really fun for me. The event took place over 150 years ago and is reaching its conclusion in this movie. Of course there are subtitles - it takes place on 3 continents! The casting is excellent, the costumes are accurate (or they look like it) and the plot is so amazingly complex yet simple. You can really sink your mind into it. Not one minute of boredom for me.They give you enough of a hint at the beginning of the movie so you are not lost. I always hate it when a movie leaves you wondering what the heck this is about and when you find out, you have to see the movie a couple more times just to figure it out. No in this one - I suspected what happened at the beginning and really enjoyed how it slowly developed - FOR 3 HOURS! Great rainy day movie - although it is snowing here.

The movie slowly but surely develops historic context. The historic context is of vital importance for the whole movie to make sense. Unfortunately, it is a big disappointment. The characterization is so simplified that the historic scenes are simply not believable. The characterization of the historic person is so black and white, it is child like. It is a simple vehicle for the movie makers to express their untempered hate towards Christianity.If you watch the movie, also look out for the probability of some of the characters to meet again later, or for the probability of the final act of the heroine, simply unbelievable. Not nuanced enough. Too simplistic. Disappointing.