A Decent Start to a Decent Show —
Fans of The Killing will love FX’s new show The Bridge, which is based on a Danish/Swedish series where an American detective, Sonya North (Diane Kruger, Inglorious Basterds) and a Mexican detective, Marco Ruiz (Demián Bichir, The Heat), must work together to solve a series of gruesome murders which take place on both sides of the border, involving Mexico and the US. Marco is a homicide cop in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, where he’s a simple family man, but Marco is a rare breed of cop surrounded by corruption and apathetic co-workers. The main reason for this is thanks to the too powerful drug cartels. He’s basically a stand-up guy who puts his family first, then his job, but being an honest cop is no easy task. At one point Sonya almost accuses him of taking a bribe. Marco’s Captain looks to be neck deep in corruption too.
Detective Sonya North is quite a character, as she shows absolutely no sympathy or empathy for victims and their loved ones alike. She is so by-the-book it’s almost painful to watch, as she was prepared to let a man die over procedure, or that she harrasis a dead womans husband to the point where she is asked to leave. She drives like a maniac and is spoken of in hushed tones, but her boss, Lieutenant Hank Wade, played steadily by Silence of the Lambs‘ Ted Levine, has tried his best to clean up after her, when she runs roughshod over peoples feelings, but is finding it more difficult to persuade her to curb her bizarre behaviour toward people.
- The Bridge
- Created by
Elwood Reid and Meredith Stiehm - Cast
Demian Bichir, Diane Kruger and Annabeth Gish - Release Date
10 July, 2013 - Influx Grade: B
The body of a woman is found on a bridge that straddles the US/Mexican border. During a short, but strange blackout, a body has been quickly placed, exactly between the two countries, but the whys and hows will not be revealed by me. At the crime scene are cops from both sides of the border but Sonya insists it’s their case. Marco has more than enough crime of his own to detect so easily relinquishes any claim to any planned investigation, but before long he’s working beside a reluctant Sonya to discover what exactly is going on.
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Annabeth Gish plays Charlotte, a horse lover who’s husband has just died, and she finds an interesting key in his wallet. After a mysteries woman calls then hangs up his private cell phone, she asks her husbands main ranch hand to show her what the key fits. He does. Matthew Lillard plays a reporter, Daniel Frye, who is somehow caught up in the murders (plural) and even ends up trapped in a locked car with a timed bomb rigged to explode.
This most definitely looks like a good show that has got off to a great start, and displays loads of potential. The murders are grizzly, the acting is good and the writing is one of the shows highlights. If they can maintain good writing and production, then I can see it gaining a regular following, and I for one will be waiting to see what happens next episode as it makes for rather addictive viewing.
Grade: B
Review by E. Blackadder, special to Influx Magazine
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