BBC4 it seems is flooding the UK market with every Scandinavian cop series going but if it means I have an alternative to "The Voice" and "Britain's Got Talent", you'll not find me complaining.
This Swedish-made production sees a handful of maverick cops put together by a sort of female George Cowley to capture a serial killer who is blowing away fat-cat financiers. Centring on one cop above the rest, who naturally has family issues (don't they all and always) and who loses control in a hostage situation, he gets reprieved from suspension by getting to join the team.
Spread over two ninety minute episodes, it's too long and shows its padding, especially the contrived participation of Russian gangs while some of the plot devices are just too esoteric and coincidental, key items of evidence include, for example a rare Thelonious Monk recording and individually crafted darts, while I found I didn't have much sympathy for our family-man hero after he bedded his female colleague the first chance he got.
Still, there are some good deaths and a gripping and exciting climax with a well-worked circularity which saw Viggo revisit his earlier hostage crisis and of course this time get it right. The acting by all concerned was excellent and the direction flowing and occasionally imaginative, while as ever the cinematography was of a high standard.
By the end of this episode, I felt quite comfortable with the different personalities of the group and wonder if they'll be brought back together for further cases in the rest of the series.
This Swedish-made production sees a handful of maverick cops put together by a sort of female George Cowley to capture a serial killer who is blowing away fat-cat financiers. Centring on one cop above the rest, who naturally has family issues (don't they all and always) and who loses control in a hostage situation, he gets reprieved from suspension by getting to join the team.
Spread over two ninety minute episodes, it's too long and shows its padding, especially the contrived participation of Russian gangs while some of the plot devices are just too esoteric and coincidental, key items of evidence include, for example a rare Thelonious Monk recording and individually crafted darts, while I found I didn't have much sympathy for our family-man hero after he bedded his female colleague the first chance he got.
Still, there are some good deaths and a gripping and exciting climax with a well-worked circularity which saw Viggo revisit his earlier hostage crisis and of course this time get it right. The acting by all concerned was excellent and the direction flowing and occasionally imaginative, while as ever the cinematography was of a high standard.
By the end of this episode, I felt quite comfortable with the different personalities of the group and wonder if they'll be brought back together for further cases in the rest of the series.