Director: Sam Miller
Writer: Simon Donald
Starring: Richard Dormer, Stanley Tucci, Sofie Grabol, Michael Gambon, Christopher Eccleston, Luke Treadaway, Jessica Raine, Nicholas Pinnock
**CONTAINS SPOILERS**
Review: While outside in the real world the UK media sensationalise the temporary passing snow, Sky Atlantic’s new thriller takes us deep into the frozen Norwegian world of Fortitude and seriously stifles those whinges with a shadowy, wintry world that’s full of exciting intrigue.
Set in the Norwegian arctic, but filmed in Iceland, it ticks along at a slower pace but we learn early on that Scandinavian’s, British, American’s, they’re all here and live peacefully in the so-called safest place on Earth. Obviously, this kind of pre-cursor is often ripped apart by the rabid bears by lesser dramas who drag their over-produced hopes into cliché but what Fortitude does very subtly is dispel those demons by keeping the questions as queries without dwelling too excessively on the ‘what if’ and ‘what the hell did that?’ Just falling shy of two hours, the opener moves along at a reduced state but the sheer amount of character and story development really pulls you in. This kind of success, so quickly, has a lot to do with a credible cast and a very unique setting.
We open with Michael Gambon’s Henry Tyson out with his camera, he’s a professional we assume, but stumbles upon a Polar Bear mauling someone he appears to know. Armed with his rifle, as everyone should be in Fortitude, he tries to shoot the bear but accidentally hits the victim in the head and we witness instant regret. However, this isn’t all that happens, as it’s also revealed that a local Policeman is on the scene and will deal with the fallout but the real question is: Was this mysterious lawman already there? He’s quickly revealed to be local Sheriff Dan Anderssen, played by Richard Dormer, and at first is seemingly calm and collected around most things but as situations develop, we learn he likes a drink, thinks he a bit of a charmer and also isn’t in control as much as he believes, but all this is something we’ll return to as the show grows.
Flipping through the merged action and titles, we join two of the younger cast members discovering something un-earthed in the frozen surroundings, it may well represent a Mammoth, as we see tusks as the snow has defrosted but in a bizarre way, it seems like something else. Later on as the young boy arrives home, he collapses, hits a temperature and although diagnosed with Mumps, it almost suggests that other forces might be at work or is it just parental paranoia? Along the way, we meet the excellent Sofie Gråbøl as Governor Odegard and the lady backing a new tourist Glacier Hotel with Christopher Eccleston’s Professor Stoddart. There are also important spots for every person which includes roles for Johnny Harris, Nicholas Pinnock, Jessica Raine, Luke Treadaway and the introduction of Stanley Tucci as American but British-based DCI Eugene Morton, who’s been sent out to investigate the troubles that occur as the opening episodes progress. The best thing about all these characters, and the ones we’ve only just seen on the fringes, is they’re all equally guilt-ridden by something or – at least – may have another agenda.
Echoing that vibe of the excellent True Detective, and some might say Broadchurch with its small-town setting, I love the Scandinavian connection running throughout and that distinctive touch I got from the likes of The Killing. It’s early days for Fortitude but once this colossal opener is over, you realise that you’ve seen Polar Bears mauling people, dogs being shot, stripped down Deer, affairs, a pig being used for some form of medical research, naked saunas, death metal with Jessica Raine and one of the big-named actors being mutilated by something we don’t yet understand. Oh, and we haven’t even delved into the mysteriously bizarre discovery of some Mammoth bones with a suspicious Alien- aura that are hidden in a shed somewhere. I’m saying it with optimism but I just feel there’s even more brilliant bizarreness to arise after a fascinating beginning.
[usr=4] Fortitude is showing now on Sky Atlantic. Check their website for screening times, catch-up by heading here and follow our dedicated blog here.
**The opening two episodes were screened together in the UK**
