22 April, 2016

Follow The Money season 1 review

Genre: Crime, Thriller, Drama, Political Thriller.
Starring: Thomas Bo Larsen, Natalie Madueno, Esben Smed Jensen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Thomas Hwan, Lucas Hansen, Kasper Leisner.
Year Of Release: 2016
Certificate: 15 (UK)
Episodes: 10
Director: Per Fly
Language: Danish, Swedish, English (English subtitles)
Synopsis: "A series about the company Energreen. Where we are following a policeman working on a case, where he is trying to figure out, what is going on inside Energreen" IMDB









“Follow The Money” is a Danish Crime/Thriller set in the cut throat world of big finance, more specifically in renewable energies. The show follows Mads (Thomas Bo Larsen) and his fraud squad who are of the belief that something is seriously wrong with the energy firm Energreen. His fears are confirmed when lawyer Claudia (Natalie Madueno) uncovers all is not seems on the surface.

Another Norsk export that hits the ground running, whatever they seem to touch over there currently just turns to gold. While this is of a very different vein to our previously reviewed “Trapped” this one comes from a different calibre of director, this time around the show was developed and directed by different people the show was developed by Jeppe Gjervig Gram, Jannik Tai Mosholt,with direction by Per Fly. Fly has recently signed on to direct “Backstabbing for Beginners” starring Theo James and Ben Kingsley of which he wrote and is directing. Fly does extremely well to create tension in a subject that from the outside would struggle to interest the everyday man, it’s a very high-class area of a high-class sector. I knew little to nothing and still don’t about the finance sector, but that didn’t stop the tension from feeling real and being able to bring me to my seats edge on many occasions.
Another stellar cast in a Nordic television show should come as no surprise to anybody who has watched a since episode in any of the shows. The acting across the border is wonderful again, with stand out performances from Thomas Bo Larsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas, two very contrasting characters that play so well off each other in this cut throat world. Along with supporting characters the casting is spot on as usual, resulting in performances to rival the "big TV" you see over here in the UK or over in the US.

The plot twists and turns in attempts to throw the viewer that seem to come a little more often than is necessary do their job well to keep you drawn in to what is going on with Evergreen. The main issue that show seemed to have was the pacing was far too slow, it can be seen what they were trying to do with a slow burn to bring you into the world, but it kind of served as a wedge that ends up to an extent alienating the viewer. The constant use of hooks to keep you coming back each episode aren't as necessary as the show-runners would like, to the point at which some of the hooks are noticeable before an episode ends. This does little to take away from the enjoyment  of the show it just felt unnecessary as if they were worried the story as a whole wouldn't entice viewers but it does.
Overall, the show is a good thrill ride in the world of big finance, chalked full of great acting performances and wonderfully shot cinematography which is expected with shows of this nature. If you have even a miniscule interest in the subject at question or the current flock of television shows coming out of the Nordic countries then this is definitely one for you, alternatively if you're new to this area of TV this is a great stepping stone to other shows like "Trapped" check out our review or "The Bridge". Another enjoyable show to sink your teeth into that will keep you highly entertained throughout the 10 episode run, I will certainly be keeping my eye on Nordic Noir & Beyond releases in the coming weeks, months and years to come.
6/10
 
Trapped releases April 25th on DVD & Blu-Ray through Arrow Films and Nordic Noir & Beyond, get hold of your copies now!

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