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Follow the Money: Season 1 AKA Bedrag (TV)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - Arrow Films Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (13th April 2016). |
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The Show
 ***This is an A/V and Extras review only. For reviews on the show from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** Greed is everywhere. Follow the Money takes us into the world of economic crime in the banks, on the stock exchanges, and in the board rooms. It is the story of speculators, swindlers, corporate moguls and the crimes they commit in their hunt for wealth. It is also the story of us human beings, the rich, the poor, the greedy and the fraudulent who ll go to any lengths to build the lives of their dreams. When a dead body is found in the sea near a wind farm off the coast of Denmark, Mads, the police detective assigned to the investigation, refuses to believe that it is just an accident. The deeper he digs, the more suspicious he becomes of quickly expanding energy company Energen, and he is drawn into a morass of shady financial and legal dealings.
Video
Independent British distributor Arrow Films release the Danish television show Follow the Money on to Blu-ray in the United Kingdom, using the original aspect ratio of 2.20:1. The transfer is 1080/50i and uses an AVC MPEG-4 encode. As to be expected for such a new show, it looks great with no major issues to cause concern. Although the Nordic Noir branding isn't on the front cover, it is mentioned in the received promotional materials and the start-up trailers. I've seen a number of titles from this range, and most have a very distinct look with lots of muted blues. In fact, the look has been so distinct, I have seen it simply described as a "Nordic feel" on several forums when describing similar looking films from outside of Scandinavia. Follow the Money however, is a lot more lighter in general, with more vividity and pop. This is mainly down to the fact that the show doesn't take place wholly in darkened locations or at night in comparison to other Nordic thrillers. Details are very good throughout, and in some cases, I would happily go as far as to say reference quality for a television show, especially in external daylight scenes where the most minute detail is explicitly sharp. Over the ten episodes, I didn't notice any edge enhancement, damage or aliasing, though the very occasional bit of light banding was spotted. Fans of the show will be thoroughly pleased. The show is uncut, with episodes 1-4 on disc 1, 5-7 on disc two, and 8-10 on disc three.
Audio
Two audio options are included: - Danish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 - Danish LPCM 2.0 Stereo For my viewing, I opted for the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, though I did flick over to the LPCM 2.0 Stereo to check for any possible issues worth mentioning (there were none). The 5.1 track is of the expected standard for a television show, with the surrounds only really used for Tobias Wilner's fitting score, in what is his biggest project to date. The LFE rarely gets any action, but as this is very much a dialogue driven show, there weren't too many occasions where it was required. Depth still manages to be good for a TV show on Blu-ray though. Dialogue is clear at all times, and there were no issues with the track such as drop outs, crackles, pops, scratches, or background hiss. Optional English subtitles are included, but if you are deaf or hard-of-hearing please be warned the subtitles don't cover the occasional English dialogue.
Extras
Just a couple of start-up trailers for "Nordic Noir & Beyond" (2:22) and "The Bridge: Season 3" (1:20) on disc one.
Overall
Another solid Danish show makes its way to British shores courtesy of Arrow Films with a characteristically strong technical presentation. Recommended.
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