This Danish thriller opens with three terrorists seizing a train on the Copenhagen underground; once stopped they remove fifteen passengers and take them to a new station that is under construction. They later demand a ransom. The police are mobilised but the task of saving the hostages won't be easy; the tunnels approaching station have been booby-trapped and the hostage takers appear to be military trained and well-armed. The police are led by Philip Nørgaard, a former soldier with an understanding of hostage situations... he was held hostage after being captured in Afghanistan. Something the lead terrorist says leads Philip to suggest the he is the man who held him even though authorities insist he was killed. With the state refusing to pay the hostages make contact with journalist Naja Toft, who starts a fun raising effort. Over the next eight days tensions rise and tragedies occur before the terrorists are finally identified and the final confrontation takes place.
Things start well with the taking of the hostages then continue impressively as we get to know the hostages and police. All we know about the hostage takers is that they speak accented English and have proper military training. Things do get a bit melodramatic towards the end as we learn who the terrorists are and why they are doing it but by then the pace has picked up so it isn't too hard to overlook this. The underground location creates a good claustrophobic atmosphere and provides a good excuse to keep the drama going for eight days. The hostages are a good cross section of society with some interesting characters among them. The cast does an impressive job making the story believable; most obviously Johannes Lassen, who plays Philip Nørgaard. Overall I'd say that while this might not be the best Nordic import it is still well worth watching.
These comments are based on watching the episode in Danish with English subtitles.
Things start well with the taking of the hostages then continue impressively as we get to know the hostages and police. All we know about the hostage takers is that they speak accented English and have proper military training. Things do get a bit melodramatic towards the end as we learn who the terrorists are and why they are doing it but by then the pace has picked up so it isn't too hard to overlook this. The underground location creates a good claustrophobic atmosphere and provides a good excuse to keep the drama going for eight days. The hostages are a good cross section of society with some interesting characters among them. The cast does an impressive job making the story believable; most obviously Johannes Lassen, who plays Philip Nørgaard. Overall I'd say that while this might not be the best Nordic import it is still well worth watching.
These comments are based on watching the episode in Danish with English subtitles.