The Bridge

Pilot Review: After the excellent The Killing, another American adaptation of a popular Scandinavian crime series. The Bridge pleasantly surprises by not being a traditional procedural crime drama, in fact, the serial killer who is after the main characters is not the usual sadistic psychopath, but kills for political reasons. The series is thus primarily about the tensions in US-Mexican relations (its emphasis on social context is reminiscent of HBO's The Wire). The protagonists are not only culturally different, but also different in character, so the tried-and-true “buddy cop” formula is not missing. Oscar-nominated Demian Bichir, who plays a casual Mexican detective here, was a safe bet. Diane Kruger makes an effort as an autistic American cop (heroes with mental disorders are all the rage in today's TV shows), but her robotic acting comes across as a bit awkward and falls far short of the quality of Claire Danes' performance as the manic-depressive agent in Homeland. (19/07/2013)