‘Helsinki Crimes’ puts a sunny face on a heart of darkness

Detective Timo Harjunpää is known for his caring attitude towards criminals and their victims. But on the streets of Helsinki, empathy will only get you so far.

‘Helsinki Crimes’. Source: Distributor

We’ve seen a lot of twists and turns and shocking concepts in Nordic Noir over the last few years, but the one at the heart of Helsinki Crimes just might be the biggest surprise yet.

Timo Harjunpää (Olli Rahkonen) is a detective investigating a series of difficult, and at times brutal, crimes in modern-day Helsinki. He spends his days dealing with humanity at its worst; it’s exactly the kind of soul-destroying job that drives (television) detectives to drink as they spend their nights alone remembering the family they lost and the friends who have moved on or died at the hands of a killer.

Detective Timo Harjunpää (Olli Rahkonen) in ‘Helsinki Crimes’. Source: Distributor

Not Timo. He’s a deeply committed detective who’s somehow managed to maintain his respect and empathy for those around him, even when they’re responsible for the most horrible of offences. Even more surprising, at night he goes home to his loving and supportive family, wife Elisa (Jutta Järvinen) and their two daughters.

He’s no fool. What he’s seen at his job has made him worried for his children, and reluctant to have any more. But at heart he’s a decent man leading a normal life. No wonder Helsinki Crimes has been acclaimed as one of the more surprising Nordic Noirs of recent years.

Based on a series of best-selling crime novels by Matti Yrjänä Joensuu stretching back to the mid-70s, this isn’t the first time Timo Harjunpää has made it onto the screen. The difference is that this series makes a point of stressing his thoughtful, nice-guy nature. It is both a strong point of difference in a sea of broken and bitter detectives, and a source of drama on its own. Faced with these vicious and at times senseless crimes, just how much good can a nice guy do?

Onerva Nykänen (Olga Temonen) and Timo Harjunpää (Olli Rahkonen) with their colleagues in ‘Helsinki Crimes’. Source: Distributor

Joensuu (who passed away in 2011) was a police officer until 2006, and his novels were praised both for their realism and their insight into police work. When it comes to solving the crimes he’s up against, Harjunpää’s compassion gives him an all too believable edge; in his world people commit crimes for a reason, even if – as in the episodes that deal with a group of teenagers killing people for fun – that reason might be hard for many to understand. If he can understand why, then he can figure out who.

Jarkko (Tatu Sinisalo) wielding a sword in ‘Helsinki Crimes’. Source: Distributor

Working alongside Harjunpää is Onerva Nykänen (Olga Temonen). She’s moved over to the homicide department from investigating sex crimes, which has made her a much more hardened character than her partner. As a widow with a teenage son who’s adopted a dark outlook on life (blame online gaming), she’s the flip side of the coin to Harjunpää’s more empathic take on the job – which is why they work so well together.

Another big contrast in Helsinki Crimes is the city itself. Set in the present day, the eight episodes (adapting four of Joensuu’s novels) take place in new territory for a Nordic Noir: the middle of summer. Forget the snow-covered landscape and rugged-up police, this is a land of sweat, shirt-sleeves and squinting into the sun.

Helsinki has never looked better, a sun-dappled tourist hotspot under brilliant blue skies. The series is full of beautiful shots of the city that under any other circumstances would be luring in visitors by the thousands.

Onerva Nykänen (Olga Temonen) as Timo’s partner in crime fighting. Source: Distributor

Across the eight episodes, though, Harjunpää and Nykänen are forced to confront the dark side of their sunny city. At first they’re tracking down a sexual predator who’s been raping and assaulting women; later episodes tackle crimes involving the aforementioned violent teens, the financial and psychological pressures of identity theft, and a string of murders linked to a male prostitution ring.

Those sunny streets and smiling faces? Don’t let them fool you: this city has a heart of darkness. And while both Harjunpää and Nykänen do their best to leave the pressures of their work at work, some crimes can’t easily be forgotten. Their biggest strength – the fact that they have stable home lives to return to at the end of the day – could also put them in the biggest danger.

One thing’s for sure: when Harjunpää’s home life is under threat, there’s nothing he won’t do to protect it.

Helsinki Crimes is now streaming at SBS On Demand.

Stream free On Demand

Helsinki Crimes

series • 

Crime drama • 

Finnish

MA15+

series • 

Crime drama • 

Finnish

MA15+