Hidden Assets
This gritty Irish crime drama is reminiscent of the excellent Scandi police thriller The Bridge in that at its centre are two police jurisdictions working together across borders.
Angeline Bell plays Emer Berry, a detective with Ireland’s Criminal Assets Bureau who, with her team track down and seize assets acquired through criminal activity. During a routine raid on a local drug-dealer, Berry’s officers discover a hidden cache of rough-cut diamonds which leads to the diamond capital of the world, Antwerp. It also transpires that the dealer owns an apartment there.
Meanwhile Belgian anti-terrorism detective Christian de Jong (Wouter Hendrick) is investigating a terrorist attack in Antwerp. It turns out the flat owned there by the Irish drug dealer was where the bomber stayed the night before the bombing and is also the scene of the murder of a young Syrian refugee. Berry travels to Belgium to share what she knows and find out more. Eventually their joint efforts lead to dodgy Irish businessman Fionn Brannigan (Peter Coonan) whose money-laundering operation has got him into very hot water. When he learns of the links to terrorism, he absconds, seeking help from his sister Bibi Melnick (Simone Kirby) who runs a successful business – in Antwerp...
How the plot strands are all cleverly tied together makes for intriguing and compulsive viewing. A bit of a gem.