The lawyer

As a fan of Scandinavian crime series, I try to watch them as much as possible (well, at some point I have acknowledged that I have watched faster than new ones appear :) ), thus it is natural that Advokaten caught my eye.

Well, its ad made be a bit cautious about potential relying on political correctness, but no - it was not an incumbrance here. The events were not always too smooth, but the logic of events was in place, there were some nice twists, and the cast was strong and distinct (Danes somehow better than Swedes, Thomas Bo Larsen in particular). The latter´s role was not too big, but when visible, he just outperformed the others - like in many other films and series with his participation.

True, it is not on the level of Bron/Broen, but for those fond of Scandinavian series - not a disappointment. Even e.g. Alex, coming to light about the same time, is somewhat weaker.

''Advokaten'' is a show set in both Sweden and Denmark, the story is set in the cities of Malmö and Copenhagen respectively, bringing to mind the iconic Bron/Broen series, a title referring to the -now- widely known Øresund bridge, the boundary between the two Scandinavian countries. The action in this series though is mainly set in Copenhagen and the show's casting emanates from both Sweden and Denmark. There is a number of popular and experienced actors such as Thomas Bo Larsen (''Festen'', ''Bedrag''), Nicolaj Kopernikus (''Forbrydelsen'', ''Bænken''), Alexander Karim (''Arne Dahl'', ''Johan Falk'') and Malin Buska (''Snabba Cash'', ''Happy End''). It should be also noted that the series writing credits list three very popular Swedish crime fiction novelists, Jens Lapidus, Michael Hjorth and Hans Rosenfeldt. Hjorth and Rosenfeldt are known to the audiences by their Sebastian Bergman book series while Lapidus is the author of one of the biggest commercial hits, that is the ''Snabba Cash'' trilogy. This is a story about vengeance and the two protagonists', the siblings Frank and Sara, search for the true perpetrator of their parents tragic murder 20 years before. After the murder, Frank and Sara were placed in different foster families, thus losing touch for a good number of years before they met again. Frank is the titular lawyer, while Sara is a police officer working on the Narcotics division. When Sara locates a person connected to their past, he tells them that her parents' executioner was a now renowned Danish gangster, Thomas Waldman. Sara will quickly convince her brother to join her in an attempt to bring Waldman down once and for all. As a result, Frank will join the law firm which provides its services to Waldman and pursuit his goal by sabotaging him from the inside. The plot reminded me a bit of another Swedish crime series, titled ''Innan vi dör'' (2017), but in my opinion ''Advokaten'' was not as good. It is a slow-burner and the viewer must have the patience to watch the first three or four episodes without giving up. The show becomes better after episode four when the whole plot is set and the various conflicts begin to arise. There is a lot of intrigue as the main characters are connected in different ways, while their targets clash with one another. I found the two protagonists being rather weak as characters and it was a bit difficult to identify with them, but on the other hand the antagonist(s)/villain(s) were rather exciting .The tempo gets faster from episode five onwards and the show never becomes tedious, but it unfortunately ends up in a lackluster finale which disappoints and leaves a bitter taste to the audience. To sum up, I would claim that ''Advokaten'' is a show destined for the fans of Scandinavian crime fiction who will be satisfied by this ten-part crime series. Sadly it lacks the necessary qualities to be classified as a classic in this popular genre.

Very well directed. Good acting and nicely crafted story. Very bingeable.

Normally I get anoyed having to listen to the switch between danish and swedish, but this series really catched me after a very short time. I think it's a great series where you follow the crimes in Denmark and how the criminals tries to get away with it all.

I think it only got even better in season two and I'm really hoping for a third season. I know some people find this a bad series looking from the first couple of episodes, but really watch it through, there's so much more that'll change most peoples opinnions on this series.

A thrilling Swedish production with superb acting above all, especially by Thomas Bo Larsen, Nicolaj Kopernikus, Alexander Karim and Malin Buska.

It is superior in the storyline and acting and has weaknesses in editing and logic, in spite of a smoother season 2.

Would have loved if it had a third season. A fine Nordic Noir crime series.

• Screenplay/story: 8
• Development: 8.5
• Realism: 8.5
• Entertainment: 8.5
• Acting: 9
• Filming/cinematography: 8
• Special effects: 8
• Music/score: 8.5
• Depth: 8
• Logic: 7
• Flow: 8.5
• Suspense/drama: 8.5
• Ending/closure: 8.