The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been well documented in recent times. Many see it as a threat to our very existence; many see it as a huge opportunity. In truth, it’s probably a bit of both. But one thing for sure, it’s not going away – the genie is very much out of the bottle and it’s only going to become a more significant part of our lives as the years go on. And it is AI that is at the heart of this new Norwegian thriller from our friends at Walter Presents.
If you want to avoid all spoilers, stop reading this article now.
Bjørn Urdal (Nicolai Cleve Broch) is seeking work in the technology industry after he left his previous employer following a corruption scandal. He’s working as a substitute teacher when he is contacted by a small family-run weapons manufacturer, AGR, offering him a job as a sales manager at their company. Given the noise around the corruption scandal, Bjørn is pleasantly surprised at being given such an opportunity with such a prestige organization.
Bjørn does some research and discovers that AGR are actually in a dire financial situation and on the verge of bankruptcy. However, what he doesn’t yet know is that they literally have a secret weapon – an AI weapon, AMMO – which could be a game changer in AGR’s future. They are hoping to make a deal worth 3bn NKR with the Mali government – but such weaponry isn’t yet legal. Dare they risk going through with the deal, knowing it will make or break the company?
AGR is run by two people, Mette (Tone Danielsen) and Ole (Bjørn Floberg), but they disagree about the sale – Mette, who is terminally ill, thinks they should wait until the legal matters are resolved before seeking to sell their product, whereas Ole wants to get ahead of the game and make the deal happen sooner rather than later. When the two of them fail to agree on a way forward, Ole decides to take matters into his own hands.
This is a quality piece of drama from Norway. Given the depressing number of conflicts around the world currently, and the increased use of AI in our everyday lives, it’s a very topical programme, too. The acting is excellent throughout and the script is concise and convincing.
Bjørn is a very likable chap who finds himself unwittingly involved in some very dangerous situations. He’s a slightly naïve family-man who is seemingly out of his depth, but you can’t help but root for him.
If you enjoy this sort of slow-burning character-driven drama, this will be right up your street.
Walter Presents: ‘Ammo' is available as a full boxset on C4 Streaming now.
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