Øyevitne

Norwegian drama/thriller "Eyewitness" was my latest Nordic noir binge. Six episodes - each one increasingly had me on the edge of my seat. The story begins with two teenage boys witnessing a brutal murder scene. This series reminded me a little of Irish thriller "The Fall", in that we learn early on who the killer is. Suspense is heightened by the race to solve the crime before the killer finds the eyewitnesses. This gripping thriller also explores other contemporary issues in society: bikie gangs, addiction, sexuality and relationships. Talented cast - can't wait to watch more Norwegian drama series. Highly recommended crime series.

Do yourself a favor and see this series before the American remake. I'm amazed how the majority of American viewers do not realize that every time a Scandinavian TV series or movie is successful, a network or studio buys its rights and soon we have the American remake--which is ALWAYS inferior. The Bridge, The Killing, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, among several others, have been remakes of far superior original versions. The rights for Eyewitness, this excellent Norwegian thriller, were sold to the USA Network and the remake was filmed in Canada for the USA Network. If you can see the original (it is available at DailyMotion), do it before seeing the remake.

While not as long (only 10 one-hour episodes) and labyrinthine as The Killing or The Bridge, this is a relatively complex, character-driven, realistic, well-paced edge of the seat thriller. Two rural teenage boys hide the fact they have witnessed the murder of several bikers to avoid revealing they were having a secret gay encounter. Their secrecy will allow the killer to continue to operate freely while the bikers and the Balkan mafia will go to war. The plot is completely believable while the situations, locations (real biker clubs, etc.), and character development create a naturalistic feeling that prevails in every scene.

This series reaffirms the fact that Norway now shares with Denmark and Sweden the world crown of crime fiction. Eyewitness is an absolute must for lovers of Scandinavian noir and police thrillers.

As for series on related topic, I am able to recall Varg Veum, and apparently I have seen all episodes available... Yes, I liked it, but it is more Beck and Wallander than those coming from Scandinavia when you have to watch all in sequence and where are many intertwined events, not every episode dedicated to solving a certain tort or felony.

Øyevitne measures easily up to the currently most famous Danish-Swedish series: gloomy atmosphere, harsh nature, thrilling yet realistic plot with some unexpected changes, fitting actors performing rather as a team than backing someone who is heavily "better" or "distinct" (Axel Bøyum and Anneke von der Lippe had apparently the most versatile characters to play)... Some spend more time on screen, the others less, but they do all have their role and place, not just filling a scene or prolonging the events (6 episodes made the story intense and compact). Plus, I liked the ending as the very final scenes did not contain the odd dramatics so characteristic to the US series, above all. And I also liked that private and sensitive issues were approached in realistic manner, as a part of everyday life, without strict assessments.

I am pleased that Norwegians have vigorously established themselves in the field long dominated by Swedes and Danes. Well done and more similar achievements in the future!

I'm not at all too keen on watch TV-series, but more into film. Occasionally I find time to check out a new one, and especially I have been interested in the Nordic-noir genre which have been given quite a lot of acclaim the latter years. This Norwegian gangster-crime series follows up this trend. Made in Norway with many connections to both Sweden and Denmark.

This is really an edge-of-the-seat-thriller series, and way more than expected. I think this TV-series manages to engage me so much that I've been looking more and more forward to each episode, and really hate when it's all over after the 6th episode. Proper use of cliffhangers ensure that, but also that the persons are of interest. I find that there's many interesting persons, e.g. from different sides and branches of the police forces, as well as you really get to know some of the persons on a more personal level.

Great actors all over, even the two boys are doing a great job. Quite professionally and sincere. What Ifind very pleasing is that the series seems very realistic. Names of places, locations as well as the use of buildings are all very tidy done. Even the news are made with real well-known news presenters, and there's simply nothing which loses the credibility. I've so many times been annoyed with facts that are plainly stupid in TV-series, you know, like name of countries not existing in the real world and so on. Here it's simply impossible to arrest any fact from Norway, Sweden or Denmark. It's all very real and totally believable. The only thing which can be arrested for not being a fact, is the name of the biker Club (6'ers with the emblem 666), which isn't any real club. However, their club location is real of another existing bikers club. I find that quite impressive. A real done job!

The series is well written, and though I in the start found the opening plot hard to believe, it started off a tension which is very suitable.

Once you get hitched, you won't be able to stop watching! You can't really expect more from a TV-series. One of the best I've seen for years, and just as good as the best of the British ones.

Yes, this is not a 10/10 rating. But that doesn't make this suspenseful thrilling drama any lesser than a MUST WATCH!

The only other Norwegian series that I've seen is SKAM. It blew over the internet, and I've got to say, it is a masterpiece. Now, I wasn't intending on watching any other Norwegian series, any time soon. But I really wanted to watch the US remake of this series, Eyewitness.

I read online (at a lot of places) that for the viewers of the original drama, that is, THIS, Eyewitness, the US remake was a complete and utter failure. And because I had some time on my hands, I gave this a go. And my, my, was it worth it! This certainly exceeded my expectations. Enough that I do not want to watch the US remake anymore. Not any time soon. Knowing myself, I will later on.

Let's get into it?

THE GOOD:

1. The acting! Norway has got some seriously talented people in their acting department. I mean as far as I remember, none of these actors are known to me. Just like none were from SKAM. And just like SKAM, they are a MASSIVELY talented bunch! A HUGE APPLAUSE!

2. The script and the idea. It's a fairly original idea and it's perfectly understandable that people in US made their own version of this. It IS that good, after all.

3. The execution. I cannot remember the last time, the conclusion of any series had me so tightly gripped!

THE BAD:

1. It felt like the script was probably extended to fill in 6-hour long episodes. The excitement and the gripping tension of this dark series was little to non-existent in the middle of the series. Episodes 3 and 4, to be precise. Certain elements were really not required and could be done without.

2. Little to no conclusion. The series came extremely abruptly to a conclusion. We got the answers to all the "what" questions, but a lot of "how"s and "why"s were left unanswered.

3. Because there was no conclusion, there was no aftermath. AT ALL. Which is okay, but I really don't think it should have ended the way it did. A few more minutes could have done SO, SO much good! But, nevertheless. The review must go on!

SOME NOTES:

1. This is NOT a "gay" series as some people point out. There is only a very little representation of it, despite it being a "central" plot. Now, that isn't a good OR a bad thing. It's just how it is.

2. A shout-out to the following actors/actresses, JUST BECAUSE: Axel Bøyum, Anneke von der Lippe, Per Kjerstad, Bjørn Skagestad, Tobias Santelmann. I don't even know how to pronounce these names, but these actors are really just AMAZING!

SUMMARY:

This series is not at all perfect but is definitely gripping, dark, and binge worthy. Despite the few pointless plots that lead to a few boring moments, and the extremely little conclusion that leaves many questions unanswered, this series is most definitely a MUST WATCH! If you're up to watch a Norwegian cinema/TV or a foreign crime drama in general, this is it!

I give it a hard earned and well deserved 7/10! :)