I think maybe I had too high hopes for this series. At first I was a bit disappointed.
The story is based on the events of an actual Norwegian robbery and hostage situation back in '94 with a dramatic outcome. The story in it self is quite good and strong. Better than many Hollywood action/thrillers. However, the writing could've been a little better. Some of the lines seem a little fake and the characters could've been better. It seems they are not sure who the lead character is. They don't build up the characters good enough. At the end it's the story that saves this series.
Many of Norways most notable actors are to be found in this series. Never the less the all over performance isn't impressive. This might be because of the lack of characters. They are not believable enough. There are something that reminds me that they're just actors.
One of the things that bugged me the most and that I was most disappointed about was the cinematography. Probably (at least by the look of it) the series is shot on video. In it self not a bad thing, but I've seen better looking footage on the regular evening news. The lightning is not bad and the composition is good, but the low depth of field and the weak colors and the over all look of the picture is kind of cheap. The though behind it is probably to make it seem more real and give it a documentary/live news look, witch is a good though, but I'm sad to say it fail. The hand-held camera, however, works. The series has a bit of the 24 feeling with hand-held camera and multiple screens. They don't overdo it and it works quite well. It fits the series and the action. However, you don't get close to the characters. As with the acting you don't get caught up and feel anything for them. When watching you know it's just TV.
The music is quite well done. Yet, in it's simplicity it's strong and powerful. It catches the action and creates a very good atmosphere and feeling.
Deadline Torp has a strong story and is quite unique in many ways. As I watched it got better, but never quite got to where I expected it to be. Never the less it's a OK mini series, but unless you're Norwegian you probably won't have that much pleasure of it.
