Category Archives: Outrageous Behavior

2012, Abuse of Women, Anti-Semitism, Bloody scenes, British, Child abuse, Contract Killing, Could Be Hard To Watch, Crime, Crude Talk, Detective, Disturbing Image, DO NOT MISS, Drag Queen, Drama, Explicit sexual discussion, Gambling, Gangs, Greed, Grim, Grisly, London History, Mayhem, Mild Torture, Murder, Murder Investigation, Murder Trial, Newpaper work, Nudity, Orphans in Foster Care, Outrageous Behavior, Physical child abuse, Police Politics, Prison, Prostitutes, Revenge, Sadism, Suspense, Theft, Torture, Violent, Vulgar

Ripper Street (2012)

Leave a comment

From IMDB:

The streets of Whitechapel are the haunt of Detective Inspector Edmund Reid and his team of officers, who aim to maintain law and order in a place once terrorized by Jack the Ripper.

A new drama set in the East End of London in 1889 during the aftermath of Jack The Ripper murders. The infamous H Division – the police precinct charged with keeping order in the district of Whitechapel- is in a chaotic state trying to keep order after a tumultuous time for London and reported infamously worldwide.

From Netflix you can stream 4 seasons consisting of 37 episodes  as follow:

  • Season 1 – 8 episodes
  • Season 2 – 8 episodes
  • Season 3 – 8 episodes
  • Season 4 – 7 episodes
  • Season 5 – 6 episodes       As of April 21,2017 not yet released

WARNING: Season 4 ends with a real cliff-hanger that needs Season 5 to resolve the issues. But at this point you cannot stream Season 5.

Matthew MacFadyen superbly plays Detective Inspector Edmund Reid.  Jerome Flynn (who was Bronn in “Game of Thrones”) plays Det. Sgt. Bennet Drake. Adam Rothenberg (who played Danny in “The Divide”) plays Dr. Homer Jackson.

Strong stomachs and tolerance for blatant vulgarity are required for watching this series. Otherwise these intense episodes are captivating. Trying to be authentic for 1889, the speech is formal, possibly pedantic, even when describing sexual activity.  Here we have an escape from the usual formulaic police procedurals. Do not be misled by the very first episode which deals with a murder that tries to mimic the work of Jack the Ripper because subject matter for the episodes is incredibly varied (thievery, pestilence, and other delights).

London in that period was a horrible, dirty, smelly, hellhole in which the place of women was especially dire. In the eighteenth century, one in every five women were sex workers. If a woman was not wealthy or married, she very often ended up in the streets.  In this series the plight of women is often the motivating theme.

Workers had no rights, no workplace safety precautions.  Future readers of this review should be reminded that under our current President Trump, the Republican party places itself in opposition to such protective organizations as the EPA.  One episode features (and shocks with a view of a match girl [woman who worked in a match factory] inflicted with) phossy jaw. You may never forget the sight.

One episode features as a character the famous Elephant Man whose real name was Joseph Merrick.  Merrick the actor is made to look exactly like the photograph in the mentioned Wikipedia article. You may never forget the sight.

One episode centers about the laws against sodomy which enabled blackmailers and often destroyed lives.

One episode makes vividly alarming the horrors created by the law making abortion illegal. Note that even now in the USA the Republicans would return to that terrible past.

London was an ugly, ugly place. Brace yourself!

After viewing more and more episodes I have upgraded to DO NOT MISS!

 

2010, 2012, Acceptable Trash, Australian, Black humor, Born Again Christians, Comedy, Corruption, Crude Talk, Dysfunctional Lives, Explicit sex, Explicit sexual discussion, Farce, Father-son relations, Financial malfeasance, Flirting, Frenetic, Gambling, Lawyers, Lot's of Fun, Marital Infidelity, Murder Investigation, Murder Trial, Netflix Streaming, Outrageous Behavior, Police Corruption, Prostitutes, Revenge, Senior citizens, Sex Scenes, Somewhat ridiculous plot, Suspense, Teenagers, Transvestite theme, Violent, Vulgar, Witty dialog

Rake (2010)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

While Cleaver Greene is a brilliant and driven attorney, he’s also an ex-druggie, a current gambling addict and loathed by many of his colleagues.

Four years after I first reviewed this nutty series it is now 2020 and there are 5 seasons of this outrageous and sometimes really funny series.  Just remember: it is really vulgar.

Each season has 8 episodes lasting about an hour. Probably the best service I an provide is to copy a description of each season.

Season 1 –

Richard Roxburgh is Cleaver Greene, a brilliant barrister battling self-destructive tendencies in this hit Australian comedy-drama. As a lawyer, Cleaver prefers to defend those who are utterly hopeless and probably guilty; his clients include murderers, bigamists, and even cannibals. Despite his roguish ways, Cleaver’s wit and charm have won him many cases and loyal friends over the years.

Season 2 –

An alcoholic and former cocaine addict, Cleaver runs up huge gambling debts and makes enemies of gangsters and politicians alike. Despite his roguish ways, Cleaver’s wit and charm have won him many cases and loyal friends over the years.

Season 3 –

As the third season of this acclaimed Aussie drama opens, Cleaver Greene’s life is once again heading south. Clients are rejecting him and he struggles to find anything resembling a case. He takes on a mid-range drink driving charge that he tries to make into a cause célèbre.

Season 4 –

Smart but self-destructive lawyer Cleaver Greene (Richard Roxburgh, Moulin Rouge!, Van Helsing) faces new challenges in the fourth season of the hit Australian comedy-drama. Last seen dangling from a runaway hot air balloon, Cleaver inadvertently crosses paths with a wanted criminal.

Season 5 –

The final season of this “ever-sparkling comedic drama” (The Guardian) sees Cleaver Greene (Richard Roxburgh, Moulin Rouge!) in the Australian Senate, having won on a pledge to do nothing. But even his low expectations fall short of the absurd reality, as he faces a political nemesis.

—————— FIRST REVIEW IN 2016 —————————–

How can two seasons (8 episodes per season) of a Australian comedy series with negative social value be so entertaining? Answer number one: it helps if the viewer is somewhat immature with a really jaded sense of humor. Answer number two: despite the completely salacious series of situations, the plot lines are complicatedly clever. Answer number three: it is just plain fun to watch Cleaver Green go from screw-up to screw-up, sleeping with just about every woman he comes across.

Will all Cleaver’s misadventures eventually catch up with him by episode 16? Stay tuned if you like exaggerated British satire.

2014, Barely Acceptable Trash, Bloody scenes, British, Corny, Crude Talk, Father-daughter relations, Not Recommended, Nudity, Outrageous Behavior, Satirical ultra-violence, Somewhat ridiculous plot, Violent

Dom Hemingway (2014)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

After finishing a 12-year prison sentence, safecracker Dom Hemingway sets out to collect the money he’s owed by his former partners in crime. When that mission tanks, Dom returns to London to try and gain forgiveness from his estranged daughter.

As a violent tour-de-force for Jude Law, this film might interest you. However, I rate it as barely acceptable trash and outrageous behavior.

In order to dissuade you, I describe the very opening:

Dom Hemingway stands naked in prison. We see only his upper body. He recites a poem of praise for his “cock” while another inmate performs fellatio on him.

If that is not enough to dissuade you, what is?

One outrageous and usually violent episode follows another. Law’s acting is embarrassing at least in one scene when he visits the grave of his much abused and now dead wife.

You are warned.