Reviews

Just awesome acting, especially by Alan Arkin but above all Michael Douglas. How proud his Dad would have been. A clever and original scenario with some brilliant writing, especially between Samdy and Norman. Congratulations to all involved.

Excellent cast and acting. Good interplay between the characters. Interesting plots. Not quite in the "Montalbano" bracket but I am now enjoying watching the series for the second time ....

This is a lovely film, and the magnificent scenes with elephants are a bonus. I liked the dialogue; the romance was sweet, if a bit predictable except for the last scene. The two principal actors were convincing. It's not "Gone with the Wind", but frankly my dear .....

Gave up 3/4 of the way through. There is only so much gratuitous violence and suffering I can stomach. "Homeland" and "24" did violence better. "The Bridge" suffers from the same problem.

OK, it is often hopelessly sentimental, but remains a beautiful and movng soap opera of traditional family life and values. I am a big fan of "Homeland", "24", "The Killing" and so on, but "Heartland" is a welcome antidote to violence and brutality. Compelling watching, it makes you wish you could live on the ranch .... Jack holds it all together, but all the characters are just great, though Tim is often VERY irritating.

Will Lou find true and lasting love? Probably my main interest, but if only people would actually say out loud what they feel!

The quality is amazingly kept up, though the unconvincing Mongolia saga was the beginning of a bit of a dip. However, it has given me immense pleasure - and the amazing use of horses is a HUGE bonus.

Congratulaions to all involved. Having watched the whole thing in the last few weeks, I am at a loss how to follow it ... and hoping for episode 14 ....

A really moving and beautiful love story (actually, more than one) between hugely sympathetic characters; stunning acting and setting; one or two slightly unconvincing twists, but above all an extremely frustrating ending leaving many threads in the air .... when do we get a sequel? Bottom line? I binged almost the wnole thing! Haven't done that since "24"!

The title above says it all, but this also series is launched by one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written by anyone, anytime. Michal Kamen wrote a masterpiece that totally and absolutely evokes the tragic sacrifice of so many in the name of freedom.

Well up to the awesome standard of "Borgen" and "The Killing". Detective Saga Noren is an original and fascinating character played with total brilliance by Sofia Helin. Crimes, plots and criminals are typically Nordic OTT: gruesome, dramatic and complicated. The policework is convincing with just an occasional lapse. Great exploration of themes, finishing with the family, family problems, and personal relationships. Suffering from withdrawal symptoms as with "The Killing" and one wishes there could be seasons 4, 5, 6 .... but total respect for what they have achieved in all three of these brilliant Scandinavian productions.

Sofie Gråbøl is mesmeric onscreen. Hard to say why exactly - nothing to do with pure beauty a la Bergman; some actors just have this gift. You can't help identifying with her obsession with justice while empathising with her inner demons. In a way her role and impact reminds me of Claire Danes in "Homeland", and she is just as good and central to the whole thing. And of course Sarah Lund is fighting (on our behalf) a vast and powerful government machine that eventually crushes her.

I was mortified that it came to an end - and rather sadly, but what a performance. OK, it is melodramatic. As she said in an interview on the DVDs, detective work is hardly ever that dramatic that, but who cares. And being Danish, the series had to weave into the crimes a political dimension. Sometimes I felt I was back in "Borgen", trying not to feel simultaneously angry and depressed at how easily so many powerful people lie.

Though I absolutely love Sarah Lund and was totally entertained by this, I knocked it down a star because the departures from police protocol were sometimes overdone. There is a reason why Starsky had Hutch, Cagney had Lacy and Barnaby has Troy: you can't just wander off on your own looking for a murderer as Sarah often does - and sometimes without a gun. Sometimes you want to scream at her: "CALL FOR BACKUP!" and/or "PHONE IT IN!". But if communication was her thing she wouldn't be so adorable.

What happened to Sarah? Will we ever know?

There are many strong contenders (in particular "Frost" and "Foyle's War"), but having seen many British crime shows, I think this has to be the best overall. A wonderful cast (including the minor parts), realistic plots, magnificent and varied settings, and moments of deep drama and feeling, often tragic, even epic. And there's the humour, while Dalziel is a one-off, sublimely played by Clarke. I am watching the entire series for the second time and enjoying it even more than the first. A sublime TV achievement.

Just watched the entire 3 series again for the 3rd time! A brilliant production, which I marked down 1 point only because of a certain inconsistency in quality of plot. Some episodes were truly stunning, and often in very atmospheric settings. Others were rather weaker.

Overall stupendous acting, and a moving and compelling relationship between the two main characters. Their interplay alone makes the series worth watching. Both characters are utterly convincing and indeed inspiring as people. There are many duos as detectives, but this is one of the best.

Having them detect all around the country is a tad unrealistic, but makes for a great variety of settings, which is fun.

Very sorry they stopped it at 3 series. Surely Havers and Lynley would have got together at some stage!

Highly watchable: brilliant casting, characters and acting, lots of raw action and a good many genuinely moving moments as cops put their lives on the line to put away (or down!) an endless stream of very bad people. Personal relationships are well-handled, too. Among my favorite current/recent shows along with "Longmire". Well done, USA TV. You guys are GOOD.