Follow the Money - Season 1 - Blu-ray

Film: It all starts with the discovery of a dead body near a wind farm. For Mads Justesen (Thomas Bo Larsen) it is quickly clear: this was no accident. The evidence thickens that the rapidly expanding energy company Energreen is involved in the man's death. The perfect façade of the corporation, represented by the charismatic Alexander Sødergren (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) quickly starts to crack as Mads and his new colleagues from the financial crime squad get involved with the case. With the help of the wily Claudia Moreno (Natalie Madueño), Sødergren and the other backers try to avert the damage from Energreen. But then events spiral out of control, inadvertently involving small-time crooks Nicky (Esben Smed Jensen) and Bimse (Lucas Hansen).

Follow the Money starts out like a classic crime thriller, but then quickly turns into an excellent economic thriller that works so well because it traces events from different perspectives. On the one hand, there are the investigators led by Mads Justesen, who not only occasionally gets into trouble with his investigative methods, but also has to deal with private problems in the course of the story that could throw him completely off track. Then there is the management of Energreen, which has a lot of dirt on it, which the legal expert Claudia Moreno is supposed to cover up. She's one of the most interesting characters, as on the one hand she'll walk over dead bodies for her career, but on the other hand she's definitely plagued by her conscience.

And then finally there are the friends Nicky and Bimse. Nicky only wants the best for his girlfriend and the child they have together, which always leads him astray. By a coincidence the two are drawn into the machinations of Energreen. And whatever Nicky, as the sensible one of the two, tries to do to get them out of it, only drags them deeper into the swamp.

The very layered and interesting characters, the cleverly interwoven plot lines and the tension screw that is tightened more and more make this Danish series extremely engaging TV entertainment. There may be a few minor lengths here and there, but overall Follow the Money manages to captivate and keep you rooting for it for just under ten hours. The story is brought to a clear end, but nevertheless you can already look forward to a second season, which has already run in Denmark (season 3 is also already being planned). If you like series like Bad Banks, you can watch this one, too. Absolutely worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The audiovisual realization can absolutely convince for a TV series. The color scheme is extremely atmospheric, with the somewhat undercooked hues capturing the various moods of the individual storylines very well. The sharpness is on a good to very good level for a current TV series. Even in gritty scenes, smaller details come through decently. The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix is also pleasantly atmospheric, with voices sounding very directional. Ambient sounds such as wind and ocean noise, as well as smaller sound effects, also ensure that the surround channels get something to do every now and then. Good.

Extras: Unfortunately, the Blu-ray has no bonus material to offer.

Conclusion: Follow the Money is a tense white-collar thriller, gripping drama and involving thriller all rolled into one. The individual storylines that are built up over the course of this first season become more and more intricately woven into a tense web of conspiracies, greed and murder. Despite some small lengths a really great first season, which is presented on the Blu-ray in good picture and sound quality. The only drawback: there is no bonus material. Nevertheless, for this first season box quite clearly: absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp