Review by martys-7

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.