Bordertown: Season 3 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Bordertown: Season 3 Blu-ray Movie Review

Bordertown: Season 3 expands on the Finnish television series. Netflix’s Bordertown is one of the most essential television programs of recent years. The production focuses on a special group working to solve crimes and stop criminals. The drama is from creator Miikko Oikkonen (the showrunner for Bordertown). The third season provides even more character development for the brilliant police detective at the core of the tale.

As the third season of Bordertown goes underway, the beloved chief investigator Kari Sorjonen (Ville Virtanen) finds himself in the thick of things as more complicated cases come his way. As the leader of the Serious Crimes Unit, Kari is a strong soul with a sense of urgency in fighting for justice and solving cases. Working to solve the cases he thrusts himself in to, Kari finds even more to be concerned about as his own family unit faces new challenges – and potential losses.

The stage is set for mystery and intrigue as Kari faces down one of his biggest obstacles to date. This time, there is a murderer who is more intelligent than anyone inside the Serious Crimes Unit expected who has been busy studying up on the past cases by Kari. Can Kari continue to lead the Serious Crimes Unit and protect his family at the same time?

Ville Virtanen remains essential to the success of the series. As the detective Kari, Virtanen is a great actor. The performance is exceptional and there is a great sense of dramatic depth and range to the performance. The actor clearly cherishes his role and imbues the part with a sense of gravitas that many programs fail to showcase. What would Bordertown be without star Virtanen? A series that is far less engaging and successful.

The production design by Vilja Katramo (Cryptid) and Okku Rahikainen (Miami) is an exceptional aspect of the production. There are a lot of great visuals and the filmmaking showcases the top notch efforts of these designers exceptionally well. The results certainly feel cinematic and more complex than some television series outings. The effort is absorbing and well appreciated.

The series editing is solid as well. The pace and tone are well established. The editing by Otto Ikaheimonen (Cryptid, Nymphs) helps the storytelling to flow at a good pace and keep this a entertaining, complex, and fascinating production. Ikaheimonen is certainly a great editor: an essential member of the production team.

The cinematography by Mikael Gustafsson (Arctic Circle, Traffic Jam) is beautiful and there is always a sense of cold serenity to the visuals. The cinematography highlights the production nicely and gives a dark but calm atmosphere to the procedural. Gustafsson certainly understands how to properly light the production and give adequate emotional gravitas via the lens. The series benefits a great deal.

The costuming by Anu Pirila (Bad Luck Love, Hella W) works well for the production as well. The efforts are effective and seem well thought out for each of the cast members. The designs are certainly true to the characters and their personalities. A solid effort by Pirila, who helps enhance Bordertown and its atmosphere.

Showrunner and head-writer Miikko Oikkonen does a great job as scriptwriter. The storytelling is fraught with tension and dramatic depth. The third season continues to expand on the narrative established from the beginning of the series. This is such a creative crime-drama and there is arguably nothing else quite like it on television. The exploration of the characters’ lives is an essential component of the production while the writing still focuses on solving the crimes as well.

The third season of Bordertown explores the family dynamics of the characters more and has a plot-line exploring a dark time for the family. This is a compelling element of the third season and something that is to be appreciated. The directors certainly help to reflect this with some more delicate direction to emphasize the dark times the characters are going through – and this leads to some emotional moments. Bordertown: Season 3 continues a winning formula for fans of the series and there is no doubt that audiences will be glad to go along for the ride.

Bordertown: Season 3 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, Bordertown: Season 3 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television aspect ratio of 2.00:1 widescreen. The presentation is top-notch and showcases exceptional detail. The high-definition presentation capably handles the material and appears well detailed. The video quality capably handles the dark and atmospheric visuals of the cinematography. A solid encode by Kino Lorber.

Bordertown: Season 3 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Finnish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound and Finnish DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Based on the sound system one is utilizing to watch the series, one can toggle between either the surround sound or stereo audio options. The surrounds are well utilized. The surround audio is enveloping and capably expands the soundstage with good music clarity and integration in to the surround channels. Dialogue is clear and well reproduced. An enjoyable lossless audio presentation.

Bordertown: Season 3 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc 1:

Bordertown Season 1 (HD, 2:27)

Bordertown Season 2 (HD, 3:06)

Bordertown Season 3 (HD, 2:36)

Marseille Season 1 (HD, 2:16)

Marseille Season 2 (HD, 2:02)

Bordertown: Season 3 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bordertown: Season 3 continues the thrilling formula of the series with exceptional storytelling, great performances, and wonderful production merits. The series is one of the most interesting series on television. Ville Virtanen is brilliant as the chief investigator of the Serious Crimes Unit. Kino Lorber provides an excellent video and audio presentation for the third season release. Though the release is light in the supplemental department, the top-notch presentation makes the release well worth owning. Fans of the series will want to pick it up for their collection. Highly recommended.