The Bridge: La serie originale

I haven't seen the Killing yet, but I will. I certainly will if it is as good as this Scandinavian crime drama. The story is very compelling, gripping and brilliantly executed. The acting is first rate, especially that of the two leads Kim Bodnia who plays Martin Rohde and the utterly brilliant Sofia Helin who plays the clever but quirky Saga Noren. I have to say she makes the show for me, alright she is blonde, beautiful and Swedish, but her performance is exceptional and you can't help but love her character. Saga works very well with Martin in trying to solve the crimes and the satellite characters and stories work equally as well. I also have to mention the direction, camera work and general production of this series as it is as good as anything I have seen. I shall be very sad when it finishes.

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.

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.

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

I guess reviewer Smockan didn't notice that Sofia Helins odd character had Aspergers Disorder which results in a very asocial behaviour. She don't know how to socialize or communicate in a normal fashion. She knows nothing about being diplomatic or "holding back". She's just barging in like a bulldozer.

I've seen the first 9 episodes and was amazed by the exciting storyline, the twists and Kim Bodnias acting. Sofia Helins performance isn't top notch but the character is so amusing and hilarious so you cant do nothing but love her. as long as you don't have to meet her in real life. =)

Those of you out there who just watched one episode and thought "this is crap. Cant stand watching this piece of *beeep*. Let's watch Wrestling instead" just don't know what you missed. This is a great crime series and it shows that Sweden and Denmark should co op more often when it comes to made for TV-drama.