Mammon

This six-part 2014 Norwegian miniseries is best described as a Nordic noir with an extremely convoluted plot, beginning with a 2008 prologue in which investigative newspaper reporter Peter Verås (Jon Øigarden) uncovers a case of banking misconduct that implicates his brother—who commits suicide as a result. Five years later, Peter's continuing research suggests that a much wider conspiracy exists, one that includes not only business leaders but also political figures. Peter's sister-in-law, teenage nephew, and estranged minister father—as well as some journalist colleagues—join Peter in becoming the targets of mysterious, nefarious forces as he inches closer to a truth that stretches back a quarter-century and involves a cruel scheme that threatens youngsters with violence. Mammon sports quite a few plot holes and strains credulity at numerous points—Verås's repeated ability to evade being caught by either the police or the thugs chasing him borders on the absurd, and red herrings are strewn everywhere (perhaps appropriate, given the Scandinavian setting). And the concluding revelations amount to little more than a case of run-of-the-mill financial skullduggery, albeit on a very large scale. Nonetheless, the series succeeds in building a brooding atmosphere, while the narrative twists and turns do hold the viewer's attention. Recommended. (F. Swietek)