Case (2015– ) User Reviews

Midnight Sun Special

[marcar912 · 7/10 · 12 November 2016]

In the great tradition of bleak crime shows such as Wallander, Case is an atmospheric procedural cop show that is very addictive. The heart of men, the innocence of youth, and the fish-out-of-water female cop are tropes we've seen before, but they are combined here to make a great series. Characters are bathed in the Icelandic summer sun that never sets and are drawn realistically: no one is either all good or all bad; and everyone is guilty of something. It makes a very binge-able show that is highly intelligent, even if there are some plot holes regarding the cops' behaviors and procedures that are less than believable. High marks to the actors, particularly the lead cop Gabriela and the alcoholic, perverse and dogged Logi. The 9th and last episode ends with the opening of another story line about Gabriela's amnesiac/brain-damaged? sister. It makes me hope for a season 2. Case isn't a masterpiece like Wallander and other Midnight Sun shows but it deserves respect.

For pity's sake

[davek28 · 6/10 · 12 February 2017]

Well, it started out like a regular Scandi noir crime drama. But, as it progressed, it became apparent that there are no bad guys or good guys because they're all idiots. The police are idiots. The bad guys are idiots. The minions are idiots. The teenage girls are idiots. The parents are idiots.

I think the best thing for everyone is if they all got locked up in a nice cosy institution.

It starts out intriguing and fairly entertaining, if you're keen on drug taking and under age sex. No-one is introduced but we gradually find out each character's role - sort of. Then they all start to get annoying - especially the police. No-one talks to anyone else. None of the characters are sympathetic. They all make stupid choices.

So it started out as a 7 but dropped to a 6 by episode 7 due to my utter frustration with these fools.

an Icelandic crime series

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 8 October 2017]

SPOILER: "Case" is an Icelandic crime series, a spin off apparently from another show.

When a teenager, Lara, is found hanged, suicide is presumed, but one detective, Gabriella, is suspicious there might be another cause. Meanwhile the girl's parents have hired an attorney to investigate as well.

What is uncovered is a hot mess -- the young woman was a promising ballet student, and it is learned that the ballet master was not only a bully, but giving his students drugs.

Then there are videos on the Internet of some of the girls having sex, and a crime ring that is getting underage girls hooked on drugs and turning them into prostitutes.

This is a Wallander-type series - dark and depressing. It's also sexually graphic and a little on the slow side. At the end, there are some unresolved matters because there possibly was a season 2 or at least plans for one. There is a subplot involving the lead detective's sister who has some mental health issues. Actually the season ends on what may be the beginning of an entire new plot for her.

It's so interesting to watch something un-Hollywood - no one is glamoured up, and there is frontal nudity of men as well as women, which is unusual. It was also fascinating to see parts of Iceland and hear the language.

Good characterizations and acting are real highlights as well as a plot that will keep you guessing.

A good idea but some flaws

[nasimzhosein-695-794748 · 6/10 · 11 January 2022]

Most of the reviews are positive and so is mine but I did have some questions with the drama plot Spoiler Alert: So a teenage is found in the ballet theater apparently a suicide. However other facts arise that may have that in doubt. Lots of different sub plots are introduced to add different angles in the drama as to whether it was murder or suicide. Not a family movie at all, lots of drugs, prostitution etc. But the story revolves around a lawyer who has drinking issues investigating the case because of the different sub plots. But here is the major flaw when all of the other suspects are cleared for whatever reason, the guilty person is now clearly identified, and also when the main witness (Hanna) identifies who the guilty person is this information is never told to the police. Even though throughout the show everyone is looking, interviewing protecting Hanna when she identifies who the obvious guilty person is no one seems to think that her opinion is no longer important. And above all was the teenage murder or what is suicide? Never was explained at the end.

Case- A Must See

[purple-reign · 9/10 · 16 November 2016]

Wow, found this on Netflix for new added Netflix originals, so just decided to try it out and got hooked. This is definitely a great show, it just takes you all the way in and you don't want to stop watching till you know all the answers. May seem slow at first but just keep watching and you won't regret it. It's an Iceland series, so there are subtitles. It didn't bother me, I actually loved hearing them talk in a different language😊 All the characters are very interesting, you find yourself rooting for some and despised by others. Great acting, you couldn't help but get attached. This show keeps you guessing all the way through. Very satisfied, loved the music too. I'm hoping for season 2 ! Good job Netflix. I give it 9/10

Not what a Nordic Noir should be

[rayahermans · 7/10 · 11 March 2021]

Of all the Nordic Noirs this one is the least attractive. Not one character makes a good decision, they all seem blasé as hell, fail at having common sense, have completely the wrong reactions...

Towards the last third of the series this obvious lack of realism becomes quite annoying...

Too bad, the story could be so much more.

Realistic suspense.

[paulcreeden · 9/10 · 12 November 2016]

This title on the Netflix roster will not engage everyone in the American audience. But, if you like slow intrigue, based in realistic writing and acting, it will be worth your time. You will enter the rabbit hole of this world gradually. Then you will be grabbed by the mystery and suspense as it pulls you in.

The remarkable features are its flawed characters and gritty sexuality. It throws light on rather distasteful sexual realities of an advanced society. Scenes which would seem pornographic in another context present as rather mundane. The film gets you inside another type of sexual mind, a disturbing one.

Good actors all around. The Scandinavian aptitude for understatement and realism is at play. Sex, addiction, family dysfunction are all on display with no softening. Another impressive Netflix venture. I would have given it a ten but I found some of the edits to be choppy or unnecessarily distracting from the mood.

Icelandic Drama

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 27 May 2018]

As is the case with any new series, I always give it the benefit of the doubt. Yes, like many, I found it really slow and dull. I'm having trouble figuring out who is who because all the men look alike or they are so uninteresting that we don't care. A pretty young actress who was removed from her birth parents because of their stuff, is fund hanged in the theatre where she is in training. There appear to be a couple of men who seem to be up to no good. We also have a couple nondescript police officers and some less than forthcoming young women. The acting is sketchy and the plot, at this point, meandering.

very dark but very worth it

[sky-guinalie · 10/10 · 17 January 2017]

Although it definitely shows the underbelly of human nature, this dark crime show is much more gripping than other procedural dramas. There are graphic depictions of nearly everything, and yet the core characters are strong and well rounded. The acting is incredible on everyone's parts, and the frequent wide shots immerse you in the setting. The plot somehow manages to employ constant twists while keeping a coherent story and not dropping any loose ends. In fact, I found myself wondering, with four minutes left of the last episode, how in the world will they tie all this up. But the writers managed it, leaving their protagonist, Gabriela smiling, and also leaving a cliffhanger suggestive of another season. If you can stomach the things shown - I admit I had to pause it and give a few minutes to steel myself at times - then it is one hundred percent worth watching all the way through. To see all of these incredibly developed, multifaceted characters come to a conclusion in all of their different ways was truly a gift. You hate the baddies, you love the star detectives, and even the neutral characters hold onto your heart(or at least your thoughts). It was a pleasure to watch this show, and I'm sincerely hoping for another season.

Not bad if you don't mind a bit of slow moving

[GKoeneke · 6/10 · 10 March 2019]

I find there are a lot Northern European shows and movies are very detailed so it slows everything down. Sweden is especially good at this and likes to tie everything into a nice tight perfect bow before posting "The End". Very little is every left to the imagination. Still, it isn't always a bad thing. I like a mystery where I'm guessing the ending and then it's revealed. This one was probably a 6 episode series that was made into 10, but it held my interest all the way through.

NetFlix is Hitting Them Out of the Park with the Foreign Series

[bshaef · 8/10 · 22 August 2018]

It seems like 6 months since I watched an American made series. I have watched series from Mexico, Sweden, Finland and so on and they are uniformly excellent. Even though the dialog is foreign, I perfectly understand what is happening because the actors are so accomplished. I think Hollywood directors should spend about a year watching these offerings because they have a lot going for them. The Case is no exception. The director set just the right atmosphere and even though I've had a little trouble sorting out the Icelandic names I know what's happening. Keep em coming Netflix. Next on my list is Season 3 of the show about the Mexican soccer team. That is a great series too.

An exciting start

[labng · 6/10 · 9 September 2019]

This began with the promise of an interesting Scandi Noir. About 2/3 in it just slowed to a crawl. More episodes than needed. I almost decided to quit watching before the end.

Too many holes in the story line

[vtooke · 5/10 · 18 March 2019]

Just watched this series. Spoilers alert. I enjoyed watching it initially but as it got closer to the end just so much didn't stack up. The girl who committed suicide is made out to be a strong character, who is prepared to help her friends. As she is about to be raped the rapist asks her if she is scared and she says no so why would she hang herself! There are multiple porn rings going on and yet the police have done nothing to stop it. But they know who the pervs are, parties are being held in a house with neighbours, they know where some are being kept as they picked up Hanna from there. Parents are not complaining about all their missing 14 year olds?! The psychiatrist has so many girls going to him and yet that's not enough. He says his daughters behaviour started changing months ago but why,what from? He was the one being warned off. And she wasn't even his daughter! They were fostering her! They never legally adopted her. And who puts a child into a foster home in the same town! And why only Lara? Hann her sister a is still a minor, completely messed up. Why was she not fostered? One of the pervs knew the police were coming so there must be a police mole. Why didn't they check that out. And knowing Hanna was being drugged and sold out did lido still think he was just drunk and that she wanted to be with him?? Maybe it was just bad translating. Potential was good but just way too many mistakes to make it believable.

Loose ends in Iceland

[seangibson6 · 6/10 · 13 February 2017]

Well, that was Case. I was left with lots of loose ends - like who was the bad guy's last victim? Was she Ilmur's sister? And the famous final video that Ilmur managed to locate on the dark web - what did it show - just a girl getting out of a car in a rather scruffy car park? Is that proof of anything? Enough to get a conviction in Iceland? Are we to assume Logi spends years in prison now, for smothering the bad guy? And what are we to make of the final moments when the senior churchman on the committee deciding which churches to restore gets an ominous call from Gabriella's troubled sister ... what's that all about?

All in all - is Iceland a good place for your holidays?

A dark drama from Iceland

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 14 February 2017]

When teenager Lara is found hanged at the local ballet school it is assumed that she committed suicide; detective Gabríela believes there is more to it than that and starts digging into the girl's life. She isn't the only person investigating; Lara's parents have employed a lawyer to look into the case. As the series progresses it becomes apparent there are a lot of very unpleasant things going on; a pair of boys is posting videos of girls having sex onto the internet, a ballet teacher who bullies his students and gives them drugs, an adoptive father who clearly has something to hide and some young men who are getting teenage girls hooked on drugs before forcing them into prostitution.

This Icelandic drama tells a grim story so don't expect too many laughs. The story pulls few punches in the way it portrays various crimes; this is done in a disturbing rather than a salacious manner. The cast does a fine job; most notably Steinunn Ólína Þorsteinsdóttir and Magnús Jónsson as the dogged Gabriela and Logi, the troubled investigative lawyer. It is interesting that nearly all of those who are suspected in being somehow involved in Lara's death turn out to have been involved in something deeply unpleasant. The ending wraps up most loose ends then asks more questions that will hopefully lead to another season. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of other Nordic dramas just be warned that it certainly is not suitable for younger viewers, not that I think it would appeal too many.

These comments are based on watching the series in Icelandic with English subtitles.

Good but not great

[tmonk-65673 · 6/10 · 2 August 2020]

While there is some good acting here, the plot is convoluted and sometimes hard to follow.

What surprises me most is, after discovering the body, an apparent suicide, nobody asks about her state of mind prior to the act. Was she depressed? Was she troubled by something? Why is it immediately assumed that foul play is at work here?! A glaring great hole in my view. And oh so dark!

Amazing, but unsure how to see next series with English subtitles

[suzanne-lawson1 · 10/10 · 27 February 2017]

This series is amazing. There are so many twists and turns to the plot, where I think I know who's responsible, until I suspect another who I wouldn't have guessed. I would never have expected such a clever crime drama from a country with one of the lowest crime rates. I'm a woman and I don't know what other reviewer was ranting on about it being misogynistic. It had some unpleasant scenes regarding abuse, drug use, prstitution, pimps, but it was just a story about unfortunate people. If anything it gives a warning against young girls getting involved in abusive people and situations. Only thing is it left a few unanswered questions, so seems to be the start of another series, but I'm unsure how to find out if I can watch with English subtitles. I only found out about Case because the first programme was on Channel 4 part of Walter Presents, and then the rest online. Like the Icelandic comedy Næturvaktin/The Night Shift, I don't have a clue how I can watch again with English subtitles since BBC stopped showing on their website.

Nothing groundbreaking, still very watchable.

[pratishmepani · 6/10 · 19 November 2017]

Interesting show with the usual twists and turns. Nothing groundbreaking in the story (honestly, could have been better) but, I found it refreshingly different. Slow but honest. Makes sense that this story comes from a country with one of the lowest crime rates in the world!

Intelligent story-line with great acting.

[lindajean4044 · 10/10 · 21 June 2017]

Yes, it moves slow, but that is nice for a change. USA TV series can be so redundant and stupid. This series, as many overseas series, are more intelligent! I binge watched entire series in one day cause I could not wait to see what would happen in the next episode, 9 in all. The actors look like real people, not Hollywood stars with all their make-up. The female lead is a plain Jane. Some nudity, more of the female, except there is some full frontal male nudity towards the end of the series. The subtitles do not distract from the story. If younger girls watch this, I would like them to get the guts to not let men manipulate and take advantage of them. Go to someone in law enforcement and get these creepy men put away!

Good plot- Icelandic production

[mnjonman · 6/10 · 4 May 2020]

This show dealt with a subject that throws every culture in every land into fits of rage. Child pornography. The story line was well done, the writing superb, the switching between scenes done in a timely manner. The mystery was kept suspenseful throughout the series. That said, I gave this show a six because I found the soundtrack during stressful scenes to be stupid. Like listening to a Disney tune during a car chase. Just didn't do it for me. And the acting was second rate, at best. Jonson (Logi) was good, but beyond that, I thought high school plays were better acted.

Bleak like Iceland

[danybur · 9/10 · 4 January 2021]

Tremendous, tough, audacious Icelandic police series about pedophilia, trafficking and drugs (and it is not a spoiler), direct heir to Prime Suspect.

A remarkable cast, an engaging and seamless script. A complex intrigue in which we get to know the characters (many of them really cruel) and their links little by little.

A painful and poignant cop, on the level of Happy Valley.

Nice to see a Danish series once in a while

[apaksoy · 7/10 · 4 March 2022]

Though it has its moments and some decent acting, not that great and a bit slow but I watched it anyway as I haven't seen a Danish series for a while and wanted to be reminded of a Danish city, homes and lifestyles.

If you are in doubt about watching this then dont

[trorvik · 4/10 · 5 April 2020]

I have watched almost every single scandinavian crime series done in the last 6-7 years. Many of them are really great and some are acceptable. But among all of them I would rate this at the very bottom. So watch it only if you find absolutely no other alternatives in the genre. While most modern scandinavian series looks like they came right from the cinema with great cinematography this whole thing looks kind of cheap. And the whole thing feels a bit cheap too. There is something very odd and very off with the whole pacing. The plot is nothing special, it has few surprises, and it is hard to care for or root for any of the characters. The whole thing drags along in a very slow tempe. Which I usually dont mind that much if it builds up to something great. But this doesnt. Instead it makes you watch it spend at least half its running time watching drug addicts and a alcoholic whine, cry and being drunk/drugged down. And you dont really care what happens to them. Too little time is spent on the crime-aspect of this crimes-seires. This is the only scandinavian series I am sorry I didnt give up right away instead of suffering with it all the way through. After binge-watching this last weekend I was unsure if I wanted to watch anything at all this weekend. But thankfully I gave "Kalifat" a chance and that one is everything this is not. And it gave me my faith back in scandinavian crime-series.

Good detective drama/ thriller

[joannpl · 8/10 · 17 August 2018]

It was pretty fast-paced, with solid detective work. For me peronally, it felt very bleak and depressing - it leaves a parent (me) of a young woman in a internal as well as mental shock "Oh my God! Thank you that my girl is safe!". I'm not kidding, that is exactly how I felt after that show. The series has many beliavable characters, presented by the actors in a very good manner. What was so depressing are all those graphic elements of what human-beings are capable of. There was shown virtually everything with close caption. The story moves fast and has so many red-herrings and twists that it felt like a roller-coaster sometimes. But still, I recommend for the fans of European noire.

Slow burning drama

[heibeinh · 9/10 · 11 September 2018]

We were searching for something after "Unforgotten" & happened upon this. Surprised it doesn't have a higher rating. It takes awhile to get into the plot, but by episode#3 it becomes intriguingly heated. We love this show & hope there is a season 2.