Cold Courage (2020) User Reviews (21)

Only for the Finnish

[laduqesa · 6/10 · 12 August 2020]

I lived in Finland for a while, so it got 6 stars instead of 5 just because of the scenes in Finland and the bursts of language in Finnish and Swedish.

The part of London that is the backdrop to the series is one of a poorer area that is partially becoming gentrified, although this is not the theme of the political campaign portrayed which attempts to show a sub-Farage figure whipping up racial tension to try to win a by-election. A shadowy group of justice warriors tries to stop him, along the way performing other good deeds whose resolution coincidentally ties into the main plot, as we see.

It's not a believable scenario by any means and nor are some of the plot devices or the actions and motivations of some of the main characters.

The producers clearly hoped for a second series being commissioned as there are at least four major cliffhangers in the final episode.

It's a series that you can just watch without much concentration. Will I bother with the second series? Unlikely if a vaccine against Corona has been found and we can go out again.

[6.6] Twists and turns hitting the wall or dissolved in acid

[cjonesas · 7/10 · 29 November 2020]

Cold Courage could have been a nice thriller if the writers & producers bothered to keep the story and plots clean and tie the various sub-plots in an arranged and neat way. They didn't do that and as a result we have messy plots and sub-plots all over, contributing only to a sense of dizziness episode after episode.

• (+-) Good acting overall by the cast, especially the British one; though Sofia Pekkari was unremarkable in her role. She was dry, lifeless and feeling old.
• (+) Good filming and cinematography on its own level.
• (+-) Mumbo jumbo plots and sub-plots fighting for the first prize.
• (-) Messy and jumbled English speaking by the Foreigners, especially Pihla Viitala. She spoke well, but in a quiet mumbled way. Maybe the English characters should have learned to speak Finnish and Swedish.
• (-) Too few episodes. Accounting the story, 10-12 episodes in the first season would have been much better.

They counted on a second season to tie the loose ends and bring fresh twists to the story, which unfortunately may never happen. Their biggest mistake was poor planning and counting too much on a green light for a next season.

I have only watched the first episode

[billcarr31 · 5/10 · 14 August 2020]

I have only watched the first episode and I have to say it was a disappointment. On e of the most annoying 'fashions' with directors in the 21st century is they love to film things in the dark so one does not know what is going on. We never used to see this. Is this what they are taught in film school?. I must say the 'plot' was confusing, I did not understand the purpose of the 'mind reading' scene in the pub. A demonstration outside a mosque would not be allowed, even a supposedly 'peaceful' one I did finally get the general drift of the story, but if that is all Simms gets to do he is wasted here.

It takes courage to see it through

[xmasdaybaby1966 · 6/10 · 11 May 2020]

A sex, crime and political thriller set in London. You expect pomp, ceremony, uplifting views of the famous landmarks, the sense of common decency and fair play and the dry British sense of humour and the great British stiff upper lip seeing you through every situation. If this is what you want or come to expect then this isn't the series for you. John Simm's Farage-esque character seems to be the only British person in London and one of the few aged over 40. There is no humour, no warmth towards the characters, no British intensity and an international cast that only seem to be able to speak English in whispers and can't decide when to speak English or their own tongues to one another. This is an EU production, funded by various tax schemes so they are obviously upset at Britain's departure from the club. Without any British financial assistance, Britain is shown in a negative light with the flag-waving being used to show the Brits to be the bad guys and out of touch. Such a shame that what could have been a good drama allowed politics to get in the way. Slow, plodding and pointless. Should there be a series 2 then at least The Studio won't be in London. Not a bad finish to this Finnish drama though.

Inconsistent, convoluted, implausible

[altereggo123 · 2/10 · 7 March 2021]

Yes, another show in which the villain is a Trump-like right wing politician. This one, played by the usually excellent John Simm, seeks to "Make Britain Great Again." He is, unfortunately, not a very well-written character. He varies from smart to stupid from scene to scene, as do most of the other characters, especially the two crime-fighting heroines.

Lia is especially lacking in credibility. The politician's blindness to what she is up to is almost comical. At least a few times in every episode, characters act in ways that completely defy logic. The cliches don't help, e.g. a rich bad guy who wears a shiny suit and sports a man-bun, a poor Muslim family sorely mistreated.

There was suspense, but part of that came from wondering when the series would improve. I did watch to the end but gave up expecting coherence by episode 3.

Enjoyable drama/thriller

[Quigonjay · 7/10 · 31 May 2021]

Kind of a british drama where they have tried to give a scandi-noir feel to it. For the most part, it works. Quite enjoyed it and hope they do a season 2. If you enjoy one of the lead actresses, Phila Viitala, you should also check out Karppi/Deadwind.

Not very good.

[mjschiller-105-313340 · 3/10 · 3 June 2021]

I found this to be a very difficult watch, i didn't like any of the cast at all and there were just so many plot holes and questions. I couldn't stand Lia at all, one of the most annoying characters in a tv show in a very long time.

Excellent

[iliketowatchallmoviess · 10/10 · 10 March 2021]

I was hoping the series was going to be as good as the book and it was! Production and the script was on point. Thanks for making this

... definitely has potential getting better

[bjarias · 7/10 · 6 August 2022]

... not yet sure about this series... going to take another season to maybe come to a firmer conclusion... ending of this first season was a bit of a letdown after all the buildup... acting was fine.. cameras at times lingering a bit too long, placing undue stress on facial expressions that came off sometimes as odd... nothing though that couldn't be worked out... looking forward to S2.

Cold Sick

[edpond · 1/10 · 9 September 2020]

What is this awful rot? The main actors can hardly speak in English, let alone act. It's like watching paint dry and seems to be quite anti British to boot. The awesome Simm must have needed the cash.

Thrilling TV Series

[adamiee · 10/10 · 28 February 2021]

Ignore the bad reviews. This is a great TV series and I really wish it gets the praise it rightfully deserves. Should at least be a 8 on here. Storyline was excellent with plenty of surprises and the ending was great. Can't wait for the new season!

Not too sure about the ending ....

[tahir-ismail · 6/10 · 13 April 2022]

Wasn't impressed with the beginning/opening of the mini-series and stopped watching halfway the 1st episode. Four weeks later, decided to start watching it again from the beginning and persevere and binged right through to the end. It is not too bad and not very good either ... just okay, and I have only three comments: (1) John Simms is completely miscast here (2) they made the police look like fools ... not doing anything! (3) the writers doesn't really seem to know how to end the story ... made it such a way like as if there is going to be a series two? Give me a break :)

Absolute CRAP!!

[solitaryman-91051 · 1/10 · 20 March 2021]

Don't waste your time. I couldn't make it to the end of the first episode. The premise is absolutely ridiculous!!

Force my self to watch to the end

[pillybee · 4/10 · 22 July 2020]

Story line was excellent but the acting didn't do it justice, Soffia Pekkari as not a good choice for the roll she may have Shakspearine credentials but came across as weak and could not hold the scene. So many comments in the movie about how attractive she was but was far to old for the role, many scenes where she just seams to freeze. The rest of the cast were good but it seem to lack a sense of direction for me, as if they didn't know when to speak or what to say. I will leave it up to you but personally I wouldn't waste my time. the things you watch during Covid 19.

Can't see the tv! Is this really London? Who wrote this script?!

[kuttnermgmt · 4/10 · 31 March 2021]

Seems a cheap move filming in the dark so much. When I have to change the settings on my tv just to see it, that's lame. Plus the story is ludicrous, totally far fetched. The phone scene was silly, the game in the bar was dumb, the fact that the detective keeps meeting this lunatic randomly makes no sense and please give it up with the same old political shows. Also-this is London?? If that's true it must be filmed in one neighborhood. Weird show and I wish I hadn't subscribed to AMC just to see this "British crime thriller" which is anything but.

Suspenseful

[mortonzilla · 10/10 · 8 March 2021]

Excellent tv series. Plenty to talk about here with each episode. Sofia Pekkari and Pihla Viitala really stole the show and made it what it was here. 10 stars.

Ugh NO

[lopezpatricia-06139 · 1/10 · 8 April 2021]

All this racist politics, and bad men. Reigned in by these supposedly oh so perfect two women, who command no respect whatsoever. Because they come off as cocky rather than strong and independent heroines.

2nd Series?

[halencorinna · 9/10 · 9 March 2021]

Please tell me theres a 2nd series coming this year... I really binged all 8 episodes like a mad woman and couldn't get enough. Addictive show, hoping for good news soon for the next season

More dreary UK crime

[mestimpson · 5/10 · 16 February 2023]

A dreary run of the mill UK crime drama, might appeal to lovers of happy valley and line of duty. I'm unsure how production quality is so poor in these days of Netflix. I'm not sure where the problem is, lighting? Cameras? Format?

The Finnish side story is interesting, Dad owned a gold mine, pretty random, one might wonder who else might have a father with a gold mine... There are a number of plot holes and improbabilities which isn't uncommon for British shows: like how does a child hoist himself 8 feet off the ground? Or where are the staff in the ICU? I've never attended a patient in intensive care that doesn't have a nurse sitting at the end of the bed monitoring the equipment 24/7. It's not even possible to step into those wards without someone checking your badge and asking what you're there for. Liked the smart finnish investigative journalists/group and the focus away from the police, seemed to be poor at doing simple things and surely what they've been doing would be considered to be illegal/ withholding information /perverting the course etc.

It's as good as anything else out there from the BBC/ ITV.

Dreadful

[hzqffsd · 2/10 · 28 January 2024]

John Sim, what were you doing in this?

It began with some promise but deteriorated into a red hot mess, with unconvincing character development and a lack of credible motivation, one really crazy back story, far too many sub plots - some just left dangling rather like one unfortunate character - and a number of glaring inconsistencies and absurdities. Two, possibly three police officers investigating a couple of murders? I know the Met is a bit stretched but really?

I noticed in one supermarket scene that the 'open' sign was facing in to the shop, so the 'closed' sign was facing out, which did not deter the 'shoppers' from entering. Did nobody notice? Such a small thing but an indication of the lack of care and attention to detail that contributed to the overall mess.

We kept watching in the hope that there would be some convincing resolution. Big mistake.

Suspenseful

[tillphillip · 9/10 · 11 March 2021]

I appreciate the editing in this series. Didn't drag out and was sharp to the point. Plot was actors all meshed well also. What a series!