Heksejakt

Witch Hunt (original title: Heksejakt) is a 2020 Norwegian financial thriller that focuses on the interweaving of the economical and political power, inside the broader contemporary European socio-political context, that crashes any individual attempt of finding any kind of justice. In a way, the plot of the show is reminiscent of another similar Nordic TV production, the Danish series Follow the Money (original title: Bedrag), which dealt with money-laundering and fraud in a massive scale, conducted by a gigantic energy company in Copenhagen. In Witch Hunt, the audience witnesses the efforts of several individuals to stand up against a corrupt system that involves businessmen, lawyers, politicians, and journalists who are worried that their dirty laundry is about to exposed by the protagonists. The series features a fine cast and a well-crafted storyline that keeps the viewer engaged throughout the eight episodes of the first season and the nicely-outlined main characters are easy to identify with. It is a nice change from the usual gloomy and gory Nordic noir productions and I hope that we will have the chance to watch more similar productions originating from the Scandinavian countries in the near future.

The show adopts a David versus Goliath angle that puts the protagonist, Ida (Ingrid Bolsø Berdal), a chief accountant in a high-end Oslo law firm, against her own employers when she detects a money-laundering scheme on behalf of the company's biggest client, the tycoon Peer Eggen (Mads Ousdal). Ida will immediately voice her concerns to her superiors, only to be persecuted by them with fabricated accusations of harassment. Ida will be left with no other choice but to turn to the Economic Crime Authority (Økokrim) and the honest, though a bit emotionally unstable, investigator Eirik Bråten (Fridtjov Såheim) who is dead set on bringing down Eggen and whoever associates with him in his shady dealings. As the investigation progresses, Eirik with the help of a young immigrant journalist, Aida (Sara Khorami), will realize that the case is more complex than he initially thought as the Norwegian Minister of Justice, along with her husband, seems to be involved. What follows is an uneven battle between the mighty Peer Eggen and Eirik who urges Ida to come forward and become a witness in order to build his case.

Witch Hunt's primary target is to portray the personal cost that the main characters have to pay in their quest for justice and redemption. The case causes a massive strain on Ida, Eirik, Aida, and their beloved ones as they one by one become prey of a faceless and ruthless network of immense power and reach. Nevertheless, there is a glimmer of hope in the season's finale that leaves the viewer feeling satisfied and optimistic about the future. Ingrid Bolsø Berdal is excellent as Ida and the same is true about Fridtjov Såheim's performance in the demanding role of the temperamental fraud investigator, Eirik. There are more well-known Norwegian actors in the cast such as Axel Boyum (Eyewitness, Home Ground), Gard B. Eidsvold (Hamsun, In Order of Disappearance), Bjørn Skagestad (Wisting, Grenseland), and Preben Hodneland (As I Fall, Amundsen). Overall, this is a recommendable show to the fans of the genre and all those who are keen on television productions that delve into the murky world of finance in the modern age. Give it a try and you won't regret it.

Working in a similar field I can confirm that these kind of activities and the difficult dilemmas they pose for compliance staff are all too common.

I found the series a great binge watch, with entertaining if predictable plot turns and excellent acting.

My main criticism is that while virtually every male is portayed in a negative way (dishonest, greedy, sexist, weak, alcoholic, bullying, unpleasant) all of the several female leads are honest, caring, likeable, intelligent and downtrodden. This blanket approach to characterisations is very obvious and becomes tiresome quite quickly. A little more balance between the sexes would have been appropriate.

As Norwegian there was a time, when I believed corruption in high places & government level doesn't / shouldn't happen in the best democracy I know. Unfortunately we know now that no country is protected from greed & power that people with money & connection to high places.

Corridors of different power are not too known for laymen who tend to stick to ingrained ideas how the financiers and politicians operate and cooperate... On the other hand, criticism is often painful and almost every company has something to hide -- so the fate of whistle-blowers if disclosed is never too mild, even in countries with strong legal basis. All this is decently depicted in Heksejakt, both script-wise and cast-wise (with Ingrid Bolsø Berdal pleasantly "in charge"), but pessimism prevails over optimism, paving the way for the outcome we saw (in a way, I liked it as a US series would have used an only positive one).

As I know that Norway is one of the least corrupt countries in the world, many aspects/twists/solutions seemed somewhat far-fetched to me. So "only" 7 points here this time.

With a really interesting beginning, which builds a labor persecution in retaliation for the denunciation of an irregularity, the story unfolds taking a predictable path, stretching the main plot with twists that end up being absurd. The series has two very different parts: a first one of excellent in crescendo tension, and a second one (the minister's subplot) that falls into the void of redundancy. Something similar happened with "Frikjent" (TV2, 2015-), the previous show of its creators. There is a promising start and a stuttering development.