Bron/Broen

First of all. It's sad to say, but "Smockan" and "seattle_kid" seems to have COMPLETELY missed the fact that the female police-officer Saga Norén in the series, played by Swedish actress Sofia Helin, is a portrait of a person with Autistic spectrum of Asperger type. And they unfortunately confuse it with bad acting in their reviews. Well, well...

To me that mistake never became a problem. Then again, I am myself a person with a Autistic spectrum of High-functioning type (HFA). A "near cousin" to Asperger. And I was simply stunned. Sofia Helins interpretation of a police-officer with Autistic spectrum of Asperger type was just excellent. Maybe not perfect, but excellent. And it is without a doubt one of the best performances I've ever seen, made by an non-autistic actress/actor. (Watch out, Dustin Hoffman *wink*)

The chemistry between the actress/actor Sofia Helin and Kim Bodnia are excellent as well. I'm actually not going to say anything about the plot itself. It would be wasteful. Just be aware that the female police-officer in the series actually is a person with Autistic spectrum of Asperger type (for less confusion), see the show, and be amazed. I was.

Me, I'm now impatiently waiting for "Bron/Broen 2", which is planned to be aired 2013.

Bron/Broen simply confirmed Scandinavian dominance in crime drama at the beginning of the 21st century. In certain aspects it surpassed The Killing (Forbrydelsen) and is overall on par with Sherlock.

For some reason all Scandinavian crime dramas and thrillers are bleak and grimy. This is in contract to one of the best living standards in the world and supposed happiness it should bring.

There have been complaints about Sofia Helin's performance. She plays a person that is obviously afflicted with a syndrome or a condition. In that sense, she offers a finest performance, not a lesson in "wooden acting" as it had been implied. In an interview she stated how her inspiration has been a goat, on a level that she follows her instincts.

Kim Bodnia is great and the rest of the crew is above average. Overall, this is a great show.

A little background: I'm from U.S. and a few years ago, some friends had recommended I watch 'The Pusher' 3 part series, and that was so realistic, so entertaining, that I started following the main actors, see what other films they had done. And recently I'd done a search, and found Kim Bodnia was in this series, so that was main reason for watching it, plus, like many, I'd seen the U.S. version of The Killing and was curious again about Scandanavian movies.

So I read the reviews on here, and obtained and began to watch this series. I immediately liked the police officer played by Sofia Helin, and I presumed she had some sort of autism, tho I don't know enough about it to be sure, and figured maybe it was more an antisocial thing, but after a few episodes it became really appealing, and I've always liked Bodnia's gritty acting and he seemed a good counterpoint to Helin.

It didn't take but one episode to get me caught up in the crime drama, either. It was complex, and I had to go back a few times, and I could see the subtitles were lame at times, but still, when there are subtitles I just depend more on the acting, and it was great.

The violence was there, but not like US movies where it is overdone and become boring and cartoon like, here it was sparse and credible. I found myself truly frightened for the victims, and worried to the last episode over the fate of certain people.

Don't miss this one: I couldn't leave the screen it was so good. And I think myself that some of the role comprised in the US version of The Killing comes from this series, not from the original in Sweden, but the lack of emotion and inability to empathize that the police lady had in this series: well I think that was what the US actress was *trying* to achieve in her role. Watch this series, and then think of the US actress who played the police detective in The Killing.

Great series though,and one of the best crime stories I've seen

This series is about the co-operation between a danish and a Swedish cop in solving a string of murders in the Copenhagen/Malmo area. I would advice readers not to listen to people who didn't even bother watching at least half the series before writing a review. Truth is, the show is a bit of a slow starter. At the end of episode one, I was left with the impression of a fairly mediocre show with an annoying female lead character that is poorly acted. However, one soon realizes that her restrained and unemotional manner is part of her character. Underneath this, Sofia Helin adds subtle nuances and complexity to her character that shows that she is a good actress. The plot also picks up and gets gradually more exciting and entertaining. Contrary to what others suggested, Kim Bodnia (who plays the danish cop) was actually very enthusiastic about this project and had nothing but praise for his female co-star. Needless to say, he is also very good in his role here.

So my opinion is that this is a well made series with a complex and entertaining plot, interesting characters and good cinematography. On the negative side, some of the actors playing minor roles are sometimes less than stellar, the plot is far-fetched in places and the sound quality leaves some things to be desired in a few scenes. But with that said, Bron is a very good and well made series. Just make sure to give it a chance beyond the first couple of episodes or so before you decide what to think. Especially the main female character is somewhat unusual and requires some time to get a grasp of. But give it (and her) a chance and you won't regret it.

So far (episode 3) "Bron" provides all the classic criminal genre elements with a modern and smart touch. The characters and actors fit their roles well (albeit being caricatures of the genre). I especially enjoy the humorous and feminist take on Saga Norén's character.

For me all these little stylistic touches just add to the enjoyment. And the plot elements fit an interconnected Scandinavian/European reality without seeming overdone or simplified.

I'd say this is one of the most exciting crime dramas of the decade, even since its function is not intended to be a long-running series with one main protagonist. I like the "issues" approach of "Bron" more than the classic European detective drama we've seen so far in the 2000s.