Thin Ice (2020)

IMDb meta-data is 8 episodes of 50 minutes rated 6.2 by 927 cinematizens.  

Genre: Thriller. 

Verdict: Exotic, preachy, and clichéd.   

I gave it a look as my lunch time viewing because of the Greenland setting, and that is superbly realised with a drone and more.  But I gave up when the cop-show clichés just kept coming, piled high. I gave up after 2 1/2 episodes.  

Here are a few: Jurisdiction is more important than solution. The victims may be Swedes but it is Danish territory. Cooperation, no way. Yet a US helicopter is among the first to respond and no comments are made on that?    

Head office pushes the locals out of the way, doing without local knowledge, and proves to be more interested in punishing subordinates than doing the job. Sure I know that is McKinsey Management 101, but it so tired that it creaks.  

An officer has a personal connection for motivation and confusion. Back stories intrude, as if the front story isn’t enough.  

Swedish Foreign Minister says it is time to overthrow governments because they are incapable to reaching agreements in a striking remark that, nonetheless, rings hollow. Meanwhile, we see the incompetence in the jurisdictional disputes that are more important than the crime, by the hierarchy that excludes anyone with local knowledge, the omission of any indigenous peoples from the Arctic Council but then which indigenous people?  Or are all such people uniform across Canada, Russia, Alaska, Finland…?    

The acting is superb but not enough to hold the interest of this jaded viewer.

I also did much tooth-grinding with the inane, repetitive TV commercials. Yes, I am fast with the mute, but not as fast as I would like to be. No FF for broadcast, more is the pity.