Nordic Watchlist reviews brand new Icelandic thriller, Reykjavík Fusion, as it arrives to MHZ Choice

Icelandic crime, kitchen, thriller Reykjavík Fusion follows Jónas, a highly talented chef as he is released from prison. The crime? Burning down his previous restaurant for tax fraud purposes. Jónas soon learns that life as an ex-convict is not going to be easy and regaining the trust of his family, friends and society will be harder than he originally thought. Fighting to regain custody of his kids and with no kitchen wanting to hire him, Jónas realises that an ex-cons best friend is another ex-con.

Seeking help from an old jail friend Kristján, Jónas soon gets the keys to his own brand new, high profile restaurant in central Reykjavik and a swanky luxury apartment with views of the sea. But what’s the catch? Well the dishes are not the only thing being washed at the restaurant and Jónas tries his best to turn a blind eye but Mary, the head of the ‘business’ side of the restaurant makes it difficult.

Jónas designs a menu which looks so darn delicious that the author of this article wishes that the restaurant existed in real life, the duck and fish dishes with the side of cranberry become so popular that they simply fly through the kitchen.

With the restaurant’s success Jónas tries his best to stay away from the money laundering, drugs and bodies that seem to fly through the restaurant just as frequently as the food, but it’s not long until Jónas is dragged through the mud and Mary ends up showing the newly paroled chef the ropes when it comes to hiding bodies, selling drugs and other illegal activities.

Jónas is played by Ólafur Darri Ólafsson whom we know from Severance, Trapped and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Mary is played by Hera Hilmar, who has Mortal Engines, See and Da Vinci’s Demons under her belt.

When Mary explains to Jónas how to do the various illegal activities properly it’s done in a fun montage / narration style, which Hera Hilmar does so soothingly well that if I were in Jónas’s shoes I would just nod my head and do exactly as she says no questions asked.

Both Hera and Ólafur Darri share incredible chemistry on screen. Other veteran Icelandic actors join the ensemble such as Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson as Kristján the crime boss, Guðjón Davíð Karlsson as Skúli Jónas ex-wife’s new boyfriend and Lára Jóhanna Jónsdóttir as Jónas ex-wife Katrín. This series also has many of the new and rising Icelandic actors such as Iðunn Ösp Hlynsdóttir who plays Rósa, and Unnur Birna Jónsdóttir Backman as Júlía.

With this ensemble of actors it’s astounding that every character manages to get a good arc, and it always comes through naturally, no character feels forced. The tension throughout the series is held really well and the drone shots help make a lot of the chase sequences thrilling! And talking about the action, this series really raises the bar when it comes to action sequences in Icelandic film and tv. With great motorcycle stunts, car chases and realistic fight choreography. 

Tackling the criminal underworld of Reykjavík has been done almost to death in Icelandic tv and film in the past, so much so that it has turned into a fun bingo card game when watching a new Icelandic film or tv series. So I have to compliment the creators of the show Birkir Blær Ingólfsson and Hörður Rúnarsson for managing to create something that feels both fresh and exciting when it comes to the Reykjavik crime world. Part of what helped was that no character felt heightened for scare or shock factor, they all felt natural.

For example the character Styrmir played by Jónas Alfreð Birkisson, is a new hot head in the game and wants to be the new big crime boss, when you hear that character description on paper you expect a big over the top character, but the actor manages to keep him very grounded and natural.

The overall use of humour, good relatable characters and incredible cinematography in Reykajvík Fusion are among the few things that help bring new life to the cinematic telling of the Reykjavík criminal underworld.

I am already excited for the second series and other productions to come from ACT4, the main production company of this series.

“Delicious looking food and gruesome crimes, this series will make you hungry whilst sitting at the edge of your seat”

Reykjavik Fusion comes to MHZ Choice from the 14th April in the USA, we will keep you updated on news of a UK release as and when we know more.