Before We Die

I appreciate some people struggle with foreign language shows and there are those that just can't be bothered but, for the rest of you, regardless of what you make of this, I urge you to watch the original Swedish series.

I have managed to get through the first series of this whilst making this judgement.

As with the original, this series is left open for a second series but I hope they don't bother.

Both shows are available in full on the All 4 website as I write.

Matt Baker has adapted this and I really hope he hasn't murdered Professor T. (another brilliant Walter Presents show) he has adapted and is out this week).

I kept watching because they guy who plays the Colonel had a magnificent role as someone with dementia in Professor T. He will be hoping his role here is soon forgotten.

The actors lack charisma and comradeship but it does improve a little towards the end of the series. They seem to be playing the original actors rather than making the characters their own.

I appreciate this was made during the pandemic but plenty of other shows have managed to put on a decent show.

Stockholm is now Bristol (and Belgium - I thought we had left the EU!) while Lesley Sharp plays Lesley Sharp from Scott And Bailey, Steve Toussaint plays Steve Toussaint from everything he has ever been in (including Scott And Bailey) and, for some unknown reason, Bjorn is now Billy with a Scottish accent.

They can't decide when the Croatian family speaks Croatian or English to one another and the performances seemingly put the wooden into woodentops.

One of the biggest plots in the Swedish version was motorcycle gang warfare but there is only 1 bike in the whole of this series.

It would have been better to do a Hinterland and get the original actors to film the show in English as well as their native tongue but this is about money rather than entertainment with Belgium using it for some sort of tax break.

The Belgian backed show should have got Poirot on board because he would have more of a clue. If this is Bristol fashion then it is far from ship shape.

I hope people don't put this effort on their bucket list of things to do Before We Die.

Update

I have niw watched series 2 and things don't improve with several of the main cast returning with a lot of goofs along the way.

Hopefully, the conclusion to series 2 means there will be no series 3.

I love eagle eye drama shows but this is probably the worst they have done.

A few flaws here and there but decent entertainment. And so good to see Lesley Sharp get another major role... she's an oldie but goodie... I like that. It's also nice when the 2nd half is better... makes you happy you hung in there. And they did a fantastic job of leading into season 2... I look forward to it.

This is a straight remake of a 2017 Swedish Series which can also be found on All4. I watched it earlier this year and It's vastly superior to this.

For me the adaptation didn't travel well or ring true set in Bristol but shot in Brussels? Lesley Sharp is an excellent actress but she has too much to do here as the supporting cast around her is very weak. Direction was mediocre with a lot of forced scenes, the score was busy and cheesy often telegraphing the action or destroying the drama within scenes. A poor script with much clunky dialogue.

Overall the remake felt dumbed down and a lot of the relationships didn't work. The original was subtle and built slowly but this one gave away the plot cheaply.

If you haven't seen the original and liked the first episode stick with it as the series storyline has a great pay-off. But if you weren't convinced by the first episode and enjoy Scandi Noir watch the original Series on All4 as it's miles better.

Please ignore the critics and reviewers who seem to have seen an earlier Swedish series of which this is a copy. Use your own judgement based on this production, not a different one.

This first episode was quite good, in my view. The acting was ok and the story moved along - although I did find a couple of plot holes.

I look forward to the next episode.

I wanted to like this more than I do.

I don't think originals are always better than remakes (LA Takedown/Heat for example) but not having seen the original I am not liking this much.

Some good actors in this but I don't see any good performances.

It is set in Bristol but mostly filmed in Brussels.

I hate that sort of thing.

Well chosen locations can play other cities but I know Brussels quite well and it does not look like a British city in my opinion.

Before We Die is not awful but it is not a tv highlight either.