Since Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy took the publishing industry by storm and the character of Lisbeth Salander became a household name, there’s been a flourishing industry for Nordic Noir. Whilst this began in print (with authors such as Jo Nesbo and Henning Mankell taking up the mantel), TV soon followed, with The Killing, The Bridge and Borgen all drawing large audiences. Eyewitness is something slightly different, merging crime thriller and family drama with a coming-of-age tale.
When Philip (Axel Bøyum) and Henning (Odin Waage) witness a multiple-murder they stay quiet, fearing for their lives. This is particularly difficult for Philip as his foster mother is the officer leading the investigation, Helen Sikkeland (Anneke von der Lippe). When the SRO are drafted in to deal with a drugs war involving The Sixers and a biker band called The Ferrymen, Sikkeland begins to see connections. However, without any evidence she is struggling to make progress.
Where Eyewitness is most successful is when it’s spending time to build fully-rounded characters, with the relationship between the two young leads particularly refreshing. However, this is also in a way its Achilles Heel as it almost completely replaces the actual police-work in the middle of the series. Whilst this isn’t in itself a bad thing, the ending does feel rather rushed. That said, There is some great acting and plotting, making Eyewitness a great edition to the Scandi Drama genre.
Eyewitness is released on DVD by Simply Media on Monday.
