I don't get why people complain about dubbing if your serious about your TV never dub always watch it in the original language. The subs are fine. Dark looming feel, great cinema photography with beautiful landscapes of Iceland. Scandi cops are always flawed and this guy doesn't break that mold, he's so dark I'm wondering if he's the killer. It's got a great feel and look I'm upto ep 3 and glued
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mikhailv6714 March 2020
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Tweekums14 December 2020This Icelandic crime drama opens with two apparently unrelated murders; the way the bodies were mutilated suggests a single killer. A police woman named Kata is put on the case. An expert, Arnar, is flown in from Norway; he is an Icelandic native who left Iceland some time ago. Investigation into the victims' pasts leads to the Valhalla Boys' Home; a long-closed institute for troubled boys in a remote part of the country. Here another body is found. It becomes obvious that somebody is targeting those who worked at Valhalla; who and why will take some investigation though... an investigation that will unearth old secrets that some in power would rather remain secret.
This might not be the fastest moving series but it is gripping with a good number of twists and turns leading to an exciting conclusion. This conclusion provides a real sense of danger for our two protagonists. From start to finish there is a great atmosphere with snow covered settings and a 'cold look' even when indoors. The lead characters are interesting; each has their own problems, which some might consider a little cliché, but that didn't bother me. The cast is solid; most obviously Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir, who plays Kata; and Björn Thors, as Arnar. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of Nordic crime dramas.
These comments are based on watching the series in Icelandic with English subtitles. -
Some of the Reviews Here: 1. Boring: Its NOT... In Fact I found it way more enjoyable than Trapped. 2. Sloppy Police Work: Yes there is some.. But who wants a perfect show?? 3. Poor Sub Titles/Dubbing: Well, guys if you cant fathom watching foreign shows in foreign languages, dont bother.. Theres a reason why there are a dozen options in Language and Subtitles. Always go ahead with original language and your preferred subtitle. You will find it more authentic. Nordic Noirs are slow paced, you wont miss a beat reading subtitles. You will probably learn a few words as well. Lastly.. This show had me binge watch. After 2 episodes, I started disliking characters but story is way too compelling. And after episode 6, it becomes more interesting. This show could have been a master piece like Trapped(season-1), if it had more dynamic lead roles.. But I guess the actors do an OK Job. Solid Mystery.. Solid Screen Play.. Go watch it... The only thing thats Cliche here is, a Police KID.. Thats never in the right place.. Never.. Trapped, Safe, Bridge, Tin Star, Deadwind, La Mante, Bosch, The Break, YOu will always find a broken Police Family with an unlikable Kid/Teen
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koendit25 May 2020I loved the setting and the story was well developed. The number of idiotic actions of the main characters just really annoyed me. Storming into the building losing her weapon and threatening the situation. Not calling back up about 25 times. In the bathroom, seeing the light go out, feeling the poison set in - and STILL not calling anyone, but rather stumble around the house going after the killer.
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gqcpa16 March 2020Not sure why the reviews are so mixed but I really enjoyed this who-dunnit thriller. Right from the get-go this series pulls you in and doesn't let go. The story revolves around a closed boys reformatory that, while it was open, badly mistreated its occupants. Years later, where the story picks up, former employees start turning up dead. The setting is Iceland and the beautiful snow-covered mountains. It is also dark and gloomy which is the perfect backdrop for the events to come. Give the eight episodes a try. You will not regret it.
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The murder mystery is fairly typical, the twists expectable but ok-ish, the acting good, although the effort by Nordic shows to say 'hey, we have problems too' is a bit obvious. Enjoyable enough to watch, but nothing special.
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Well-realized homicide show from Iceland. The austere scenery is breathtaking and the cinematography topnotch (although far too dark indoors, sometimes obscuring important clues) and the writing brisk and plot-driven. Like other dramas from Iceland, some of actions of the characters (phones conveniently left in cars, cops inexplicably turning their backs in dangerous situations etc.), are questionable and a bit lazy. Perhaps Icelanders are a bit more naive than the rest of us? The acting is wonderful and sincere, rarely overdoing it. Despite these minor flaws, I binged the series and was fully engaged from beginning to end. Looking forward to another season.
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jonassladen7 September 2020Good story, sure with plot holes, especially in the finale; and with a crazy ending that really is out there but I'd still be up for a season two.
Two main points: 1. Why is everybody complaining about the dubbing. Dubbing is always ridiculous. It's a non-issue. Just watch the closed captions. 2. Kata really screwed up several times, really too many to list out, especially when she rushed in with the gun and then lost it to Kristján. That would have been a deal-breaker, even a demotion, anywhere else. If he hadn't shot and killed himself, they would have gotten direct information which could have led to the killer.
I would say in general that Icelandic cops are mostly genuine folks who make mistakes and don't have the wherewithal or the same criminal environments that places like the US or Eastern Europe do to harden them (just saying). Mostly good people who are hardly equipped to deal when a bad set of criminals show up in a country that usually has nothing so vicious. -
helenlevy20 March 2020I thought this was a brilliant piece and didn't want it to end. Right until the final episode you are held in the dark. There are a few gaps and weaknesses but on the whole it is wonderfully suspenseful. I hope they make another series with Kata and Arnar as the lead detectives in a new Nordic police thriller.
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Monsieur_Rioux13 March 2020A good start. "sloppy dubbing & nonsensical close captioning" Well take the option to have English subtitles then. That's why it's there.
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martimusross29 December 2020The Valhalla Murders
This was a total treat from start to finish with tight acting and an even tighter script. Two elements that needed strengthening to get a 10/10, I first wanted more banter between the cops to prevent it becoming mechanical and creating more character. They tried with the technical nerd and the country cop but it was wasn't quite there. Secondly the forensics needed to drive the investigation along with the research, at times here the forensics followed the events by way of confirmation.
Lastly we didn't get a full blown explanation of motive by the killer, why these boys, why this home.
Either way I loved this drama and the two main leads were fabulous. -
dosleeb3 May 2020I know Iceland is a small country and police do things a bit different in Europe but c'mon... The incompetent police work robs this show of any believability. 1st Detective: "hey we got two persons of interest we need to talk with and one of them could possibly be the serial killer, which one should we visit first?" 2nd Detective: "lets split up!"
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ravs_ever21 August 2020I have watched several similar shows which were of Norwegian origins on Netflix....all of them have been good but this one.....no no no...no! This one was really bad.
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ilsevonm15 March 2020This is very similar to a welsh series called Hinterland. Same plot.
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vrunalshitre18 March 2020SLOW BURN, BUT FOUND SOMETHING INTERESTING TO WATCH AFTER LONG TIME IN CRIME SEGMENT... AMAZINGLY DONE, SURPRISING PLOTS N TWISTS.. JUST GO FOR IT ... WORTH WATCHING. ITS NOT LIKE EVERY CRIME SERIES ITS SOMETHING NEW..
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Calicodreamin10 June 2020An interesting murder mystery series set in Iceland. The characters were well developed and well acted (for us English speakers the dubbing was very well done). The cinematography gave off awesome dark vibes. The main storyline was well developed, but there could have been more there. Some off the side storylines felt unfinished.
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Lejink31 March 2020This eight part suspense-thriller set in Iceland is worth staying with until the end, where it improves sharply in both suspense and thrills. In fact I'd go further and state that whilst the first six parts were fairly meh for reasons I'll go into, the last two really kicked off and made for a tense, dramatic conclusion.
Those first half-dozen chapters were watchable enough but everything about them seemed second-hand, Icelandic-noir playing little brother to Nordic-noir. So we get two mismatched, rebellious, individualistic male and female detectives - check; both with family troubles which inconveniently bubble up just at the crucial parts of their investigation - check; a serial murderer whose origins can be traced back to child-abuse at a remote reform school for boys and a cover-up in high places - check and finally oodles of drone shots from on-high looking down on bleak wintry landscapes - check.
By the end of the sixth episode it seemed as if this up-till-then familiar story-line had completed its predictable arc with a nonetheless gripping face-off involving the two 'tecs, Kata and Arnur against the suspected killer back at the scene of the original crimes. But no, there were still two episodes to go so there had to be more and indeed there was as a fresh suspect appears from up above and even though I'd guessed the perpetrator the first time I saw them, there were still a few twisty-turny snowbound roads to go down before a second even more exciting climax is played out at dead-of-night at an icy harbour.
Both leads were excellent, each generally playing it strong and silent, communicating with each other and their colleagues with the minimum of expression or appreciation. There's a nice symmetry as to who does what to eventually solve the case and how one saves the other at the two climactic scenes. Apart from the already mentioned cliched use of the drone shots, the direction was otherwise taut and well-versed in keeping the viewer on the edge of their seats and I also found time to appreciate the atmospheric electro-soundtrack.
Yes I could have done without all the personal baggage which helped to unnecessarily drag down the pace of the earlier episodes, but it certainly came good in the end as all good thrillers should. -
WeWatchMovies20 March 2020Even though we've seen this story before it was interesting and easy to get into!! Good characters and back stories. We enjoyed it a lot all in one sitting!!
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ma_tolse22 March 2020Investigation always a step behind and ditectiv with personal problems.
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peter_devito22 March 2020This one really snuck up on me. It started low & slow, then built, built some more, then exploded into high tension & unpredictability in episodes 7 & 8. The ending really nailed it IMO.
I've never seen any of these actors before--but would love to see them again, particularly the 2 leads, whose acting here was rather amazing.
I'm a big fan of police procedurals in general, and this is one of the better ones around. -
Ok. SPOILERS - This started slow and as true Nordic shows exhibit - Bland Personalities, Sanitized appearances and nobody smiles. Isn't anyone happy and upbeat who live in the Nordic countries?? The first 4 episodes were hard to watch. The level of ineptness of the police and the constant scenes shot in the dark had me shouting "You're dumb and are going to get knifed" "I hope you get killed because you are so stupid". Thankfully, episodes 5-8 saved this show, yeah! The detectives found their brains and people started to look at crime scenes and evidence. Arnar came through just as you thought he was going to leave Kata out in the cold. OMG- Helga- how did Kata not just punch her in her big nose? Helga was so annoying and smug! She obviously didn't solve very many crimes with her "put her head down and act like a sheep" attitude. Kata's character was the one character that wanted to find out the truth no matter who was involved with Valhalla crimes(except for Kari's fight..lol). Hakon - he was the cop who actually investigated Valhalla to find the clues that led to the Truth. I don't know what season 2 would be, since there are barely any crimes in Iceland.
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bjorn-kjellstrom19 March 2020Wonderful stuff. Wellwritten and with great acting. Don't miss if you're inte Nordic noir.
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cjonesas5 December 2020The Valhalla Murders is a series with a lot more good filming, nice special effects with realistic wounds and blood, average acting and not too bad of a story than suspense. It is empty on the inside because of the bad screenplay, some plot holes, horrible soundtrack and the soul-less acting throughout most of the series, especially by the main actors. Interestingly enough, the supporting cast did a far better job!
When you have a series in which the filming, scenes and sceneries attract you more than the acting, you can see a real problem. If the said series is a Crime Thriller one, then it shows the ineptness of the writers and then producers in their specified jobs. That pretty much sums up the title.
That being said, it is worth a watch and a potential season 2 for the leads to polish up more their acting. Strangely enough, Icelandic Crime Dramas lacks real suspense and thrill. Maybe they should look up to their Danish and Swedish counterparts. -
SimonSaysSmallScreen24 April 2020I guess it was too hard for the writers to create suspense without making Kata and her pal, Arnar, do stupid things. But Kata takes the cake. An opportunity to make the worst possible tactical decision rarely presents itself without her jumping on it with with willful abandon. Shall we review? 1) destroys evidence implicating her own son; 2) obstructs justice by conducting an unauthorized interview with her son's presumptive victim (which on its own should have gotten her fired, if not imprisoned); 3) brings a weapon into a hostage situation with no knowledge of what is happening and without calling for back-up; 4) fails to subdue the assailant in that situation, necessitating a search; 5) carries out the search alone with no back-up; 6) allows herself to be subdued by the assailant, giving up the weapon (the only weapon available to anyone on the scene), leading to the assailant's suicide, which could also have been her own murder; 7) allows herself to be drugged by Petur when she accepts a drink (she seriously couldn't have suspected that he was involved, given his previous whitewash of the boys home inspection? I mean, is she supposed to be a detective or not?); 8) when she finally gets the drop on Petur, springing up from the boat with the wrench, she just hits him once and then RUNS like a scared child, instead of picking up the wrench and making sure he doesn't get up again. And those are just the most irritating mistakes get I can remember.
This is not the quality of writing required to really grab the audience, these days. Check out something like Killing Eve or Better Call Saul or, actually, quite a few other really good series. This kind of tired formula detective-show writing just doesn't make it, anymore. -
tonytangney8 June 2021Nordic noir where as usual the weather is the main star. It's a strong who dunnit with in-depth leads. It veers off in some odd directions and isn't exactly a barrel of laughs but I really enjoy looking at Iceland and its quirky people.