Spine 80: The Element of Crime

Published: July 4, 2014, 12:41 a.m.

A rare treat on this week's Lost in Criterion: a film Pat loves and Adam just can't get into. Lars von Trier's feature-length debut The Element of Crime (1984) is a dystopian film so noir-like that it's more like a noir reduction, boiled down until it is thick with rain and contrast. People like it! Adam is not one of them.