Category Archives: Forensics

2020, Acceptable for teenagers, Antique Cars, Assisted Suicide, Blackmail, Boating, Bullying, Classic, Controlling personality, Corny at times, Dancing, Detective, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Film Remake, Fist Fight, Forensics, Frame someone for a crime, Haute Couture, Interest in automobiles, Jealousy, Lawyers, Marital Infidelity, Murder, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Personal Betrayal, Police Investigation, Promiscuity, Psychopath, Remarkable Costumes, Revenge, Romance, Suspense, Terminal Disease, Unhappy Marriage, Upstairs - Downstairs

Rebecca (2020)

Leave a comment

From IMDB:

A young newlywed arrives at her husband’s imposing family estate on a windswept English coast and finds herself battling the shadow of his first wife, Rebecca, whose legacy lives on in the house long after her death.

From Netflix you can stream this 2 hour 3 minute complete remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic rendition of Daphne du Maurier’s famous 1938 bestseller.

If the link works for you, you can read the review in the edition today (October 22, 2020) of the Boston Globe.  Let us say that the critic, Ty Burr, damns with faint praise. As Mr. Burr reminds us, Alfred Hitchcock make the film in 1940, which makes the first film version 80 years old. He also sadly informs us that currently (Oct 22, 2020) there is no genuine streaming source for the original.

Of course we old-timers will tell you that Lily James (playing the second Mrs.  de Winter is no Joan Fontaine. Nor is Kristin Scott Thomas (playing Mrs. Danvers) any Dame Judith Anderson.  For my taste Kristin Scott Thomas is scary enough.

Ignore the critics and enjoy this remake!

2017, Abduction, Based on true facts, Cold Cases, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, FBI, Forensics, Lesbian Theme, Netflix Streaming, NOT violent, Race Relations, Racism, Serial Killer

Mindhunter (2017)

Leave a comment

From IMDB:

Set in the late 1970s, two FBI agents are tasked with interviewing serial killers to solve open cases.

From Netflix you can stream 2 seasons of this drama which centers around criminal profiling and its use in catching serial killers. Season 1 has 10 episodes and season 2 has 9 episodes. Episode length varies from 45 minutes to a bit over an hour.  Material in the series is based on real life events.

In the 1970s the idea of criminal profiling was new. In fact at first the FBI was sceptical about its usefulness. Why spend money sending FBI agents to interview murderers with the goal of solving future crimes?  During this period the agents involved invented the phrase “serial killer”.

Season 1 depicts the development of these ideas as they bump up against the bureaucracy. Certainly interviews with known serial killers, for example Charlie Manson,  are interesting.

Season 2 is mostly devoted to a true case of serial killing in Atlanta. In the time frame of season 2 the FBI work in this area has become accepted enough that the local police in Atlanta reluctantly allowed the FBI to help solve the case.

Along side the crime plot runs the personal problems of some of the agents on the team:

  • Bill Tench (played by Holt McCallany – Robert McCoy in Blue Bloods ) has a young son who was involved in the murder of a young child. Tench is always away in some other city for his work. As a result his marriage is in trouble.
  • Dr. Wendy Carr (played by Anna Torv – Olivia Dunham in Fringe) is a Lesbian looking for love and not having much success.

If you enjoy detailed police procedurals (and are a fairly patient viewer) then you might well be caught up in the plot.

2020, Abduction, Action sequences, Anti-Immigration, Athletes, Bloody scenes, Bullying, Cancer theme, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Corruption, Crime thriller, Detective, Drama, Fascists, Father-son relations, Forensics, Gangs, Henning Mankell, Immigrants, Jealousy, Lawyers, Murder, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Police Culture, Police Politics, Race Relations, Racism, Revenge, Romance, Sex Scenes, Soccer, Sociopath, Suspense, Swedish Detective, Upsetting ending, Violent, White Supremecy

Young Wallender (2020)

Leave a comment

From Netflix:

Rookie cop Kurt Wallander stumbles into a hate crime in his own neighborhood. As he hunts the killer, the incident fuels anti-immigration anger.

From Netflix you can stream the 6 episodes of this drama involving crime, gangs, romance, and white supremacists. Each episode lasts about 50 minutes.

Henning Mankell’s “Wallender” novels have been dramatized several times. Swedish and English versions can be streamed from many different sources. His novels take place in the Sweden of the 1970s. “Young Wallender” attempts to portray Kurt Wallender in his first job as a policeman. Instead of the 1970s, the setting is present-day (2020) Sweden. English is the original soundtrack although you can choose from many languages for sound and subtitles, none strangely enough in Swedish.

Appropriate to our era is the fact that the predominant theme of this series is the crusade of white supremacists against immigration. Throw in illegal weapons smuggling, sibling rivalry, disadvantaged blacks forming gangs, and a convincing romance to produce an exciting 6 episodes.

If you Google for “Young Wallander” you will find not only reviews but also debates over the conclusion. Beware of “spoilers.”

Even though the story seems to drag at times, I do not hesitate to strongly recommend this series.

2020, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Action sequences, Athletes, Bloody scenes, Conspiracy, Corrupt lawyers, Corruption, Could Be Hard To Watch, Forensics, Gangs, German, German Detectives, Government cover-up, Greed, Journalist, Kidnapping, MHz Choice, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Must suspend disbelief, Police Corruption, Police Politics, Rape, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Sex trafficking, Sex with underage girls, Short-lived suspenseful episodes, Suspense, Various Romances, Violent

Tatort: Lindholm (2020)

Leave a comment

From MHz Choice:

Lone wolf detective Charlotte Lindholm has an uncanny talent for solving crimes and fumbling all personal relationships.

From MHz Choice you can stream the 12 episodes of the only season available in this German series. Each episode is about an hour and a half.

“Tatort”  is German for “scene of the crime.”  MHz Choice offers 4 different series entitled “Tatort:” followed by either the name of a detective or of a German city.

Beware: Episode 8, “The Disposable Girl”,  is harrowing and ends with all the corruption revolving around sex trafficking winning the battle. Because I did not understand that the story continues into episode 9, I was really depressed.  Do not watch such stories at bedtime. However,  as in most fairy tales, the good guys win and the bad guys lose in episode 9.  As usual Charlotte in episode 9 loses yet another love interest.

As in many less-than-perfect such presentations, the solutions are often just too easy. Somehow the Lone Ranger always shows up at just the right time.  But that is just fine with me, I gladly trade some realism for some release in the story tension.

Charlotte is a beautiful young unmarried mother with a very young son. She keeps searching for that one true love. Sadly that is not in the cards for our Charlotte.  Just enjoy her in-your-face, determined fight for justice in the face of bureaucratic or corrupt opposition.

At least it is not boring and, in fact, not bad at all.

2015, Abduction, Binge worthy, Bloody scenes, Cancer theme, Cannibalism, Cooking and food, Could Be Hard To Watch, Creepy, Dark, Detective, Eccentric cast of characters, FBI, Fist Fight, Forensic pathologist, Forensics, Frame someone for a crime, Gory, Grim, Grisly, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Panic Attacks, Psychiatrists, Psychological Thriller, Psychopath, Serial Killer, Suspense, Troubled Personality, Unusual, Violent, Wrongful Arrest

Hannibal (2015)

Leave a comment

From IMDB:

Explores the early relationship between renowned psychiatrist, Hannibal Lecter, and his patient, a young FBI criminal profiler, who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers.

From Netflix you can stream 3 seasons of this creepy TV series. Each season contains 13 episodes. Each episode lasts about 45 minutes.

If you are searching for an example of GRIM entertainment, if that is what you can call entertainment, then you have found the very definition of GRIM. We all know  Hannibal Lector as the infamous serial killer who eats the more interesting parts of his victims. What is eerie to watch is seeing Hannibal portrayed as a smooth, calm, stylish psychiatrist who is a fastidious gourmet cook taking great pains to prepare exquisite “organic” (get it? heh, heh) meals for his unsuspecting guests, including the very detectives searching for the serial killer.

Add to the mix  poor hapless Will Graham who regularly, after seeing the current butchered victim ( le corps du jour) ,  goes into a trance and visualizes some part of the murderous attack.  Will has been driven into a damaged mental state by the ambitious chief detective Jack Crawford. As a result Will spends the major part of Season 2 as a prisoner-patient at a Baltimore asylum for the criminally insane. Dr. Lector, a former sugeon, has his own psychiatrist Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier. Did you get that? Dr. DuMaurier treats Dr. Lector who treats Will Graham. Talk about convoluted!

There is an awful lot of psycho-babble that seems to occupy more than its fair share of the script. However, the sinister plot, including Lector’s clever methods for diverting suspicion from himself, is clever and suspenseful enough to warrant watching.

Some of the actors are well-known:

  • Hannibal Lector is played by Mads Mikkelsen who is now one of Denmark’s biggest movie actors.
  • Jack Crawford is played by Laurence Fishburne.
  • Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier is played by Gillian Anderson of The X Files fame. When she played in “The X Files” she was only 30 years old. In “Hannibal” she is a stunningly beautiful woman of 47 years.

Just one example of the many gory murders might convince you to avoid watching: Hannibal freezes a woman’s body and then uses a band saw to slice the body in 5 vertical cross sections, each section being then laminated in a plastic coating.

If by now you have not been dissuaded, then go ahead and watch the gore festival.

 

2016, Abuse of Women, Action sequences, Adopted child, Binge worthy, Bloody scenes, Cancer theme, Cold Cases, Crime thriller, Dark, Disturbing Image, Dysfunctional Lives, Eccentric Detective, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Finnish, Forensics, Grim, KGB, Mixed Martial Arts, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Occasional gore, Police Investigation, Religious Theme, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Unbelievably smart detective, Violent

Bordertown (2016)

Leave a comment

From IMDB:

Quirky police detective, in Finland, delves into his mind palace to solve despicable crimes all the while trying to keep his family together. If Sherlock was based in Finland this would be it.

From Netflix you can stream 3 seasons of this Finnish crime series. Season 1 consists of 11 episodes while seasons 2 and 3 consist of 10 episodes. Each episode lasts about an hour. Most often one complete story requires 2 or 3 episodes.

You can always get English subtitles. In seasons 1 an 2 you can get an English sound track which to my ears always sounded somewhat unnatural as if the dubbing was too formal. Oddly enough there is no English sound track for season 3, only Finnish, Spanish, and Italian.

Kari Sorjonen is quite possibly the most eccentric detective I have seen.  His odd mannerisms of touching his face and head with outstretched fingers might just get on your nerves. Supposedly when he does this he has ingenious flashes of insight.

Never mind the idiosyncrasies, the stories are as grim as they are good.  His supporting detectives and family members fill out the cast well.  Indeed a constant theme is his somewhat clueless neglect of his family because, as is the case in so many detective series, that phone is always ringing.

Worth a watch.

 

2019, Acorn TV, Amusing banter, Australian Detective, Boarding school, Clever Assistant, Cooking and food, Failing Marriage, Forensics, Interest in cats, Marital Infidelity, Mediocre, Murder by poison, Murder Investigation, NOT violent, Nothing special, Revenge, Unhappy Marriage, Witty dialog

My Life Is Murder (2019)

Leave a comment

From IMDB:

My Life is Murder follows the adventures of fearless private investigator Alexa Crowe, who solves the most baffling crimes as well as coping with the frustrations of everyday life.

From Acorn TV you can stream the 10 episodes (the 11th episode is just a bonus cast interview) of this (Melbourne) Australian crime series. Each episode lasts about 43 minutes.

Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess) plays Alexa Crowe as a retired cop who cannot seem to stop solving crime. Each story begins with DI Keiran Hussey bringing a closed but dubious case to her attention.  Madison Feliciano is her smart and sassy assistant who is very good at not always legal research.

Just a lightweight series of who-done-it stories that is easy to watch.

 

2019, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Amazon Prime, Binge worthy, British Mystery Series, Cold Cases, Courtroom scenes, DO NOT MISS, Forensics, Murder Trial, Police Culture, Police Politics, Prostitutes, Serial Killer, Trial Scenes, True Story, Unhappy Marriage

A Confession (2019)

1 Comment

From IMDB:

Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher intends on catching a killer of a missing woman, even if that may cost him his career and reputation.

From Amazon Prime you can stream the 6 episodes of this true  one season British TV crime story. Each episode lasts about 45 minutes.

Using carefully researched material, this series documents a true, riveting, and frustratingly sad case in which DS Steve Fulcher of the Wiltshire police district successfully finds a serial killer only to have his career destroyed because he made a brave and clever decision that did not completely follow guidelines.

Do not be put off by the word “documentary” because this series is a very well done enactment that is anything but a presentation of dry facts.  All the characters come to life in moments of grief, anger, loneliness and love.   Wiltshire police department concern with public relations is maddening and, thanks to this series, fully exposed.

Once again there are many familiar British actors:

  • For me the biggest surprise was the appearance of the actor Joe Absolom who plays the serial killer Christopher Halliwell.  You may recognize him as the young man Al Large who was the son of the very LARGE Bert Large in Doc Martin.  He seems so much older in “Confession” and plays the part of a clever, intelligent but stricken serial killer very well.
  • Siobhan Finneran (who plays Elaine Pickford) played Clare Cartwright in the wonderfully unhappy series Happy Valley. Her acting resumé is enormous.
  • Imelda Staunton (who plays Karen Edwards) is another seasoned British actor with a huge resumé.  Her role as the abortionist Vera Drake was remarkable.

Sorry for the “Do Not Miss” inflation, but DO NOT MISS!

2015, Acorn TV, Binge worthy, Blackmail, Bloody scenes, Boating, British Mystery Series, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Forensics, Frame someone for a crime, Gangs, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Personal Betrayal, Police Corruption, Police cover-up, Police Culture, Police Investigation, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Undercover police work, Weapons Dealer, Yorkshire Accents

Black Work (2015)

Leave a comment

From Acorn TV:

This powerful crime thriller written by Matt Charman (Bridge of Spies) dives into the murky depths of undercover police work and tells the story of a woman willing to risk everything to protect her family. Sheridan Smith (Jonathan Creek, Accused) delivers a powerhouse performance as Jo Gillespie, a police constable who embarks on a dangerous investigation of her husband’s death.

From Acorn TV you can stream the 3 episodes of this series. Each episode lasts about 45 minutes.

Because this engrossing procedural, which takes place in Leeds, involves so many facets, for a while I could not imagine the story ending in a mere 3 episodes. Have no fear, the conclusion is quite satisfying.

You can hear various accents include the Scottish accent of Douglas Henshall and the Yorkshire accent of others, especially the character Zoe Nash.

Familiar faces abound:

  •     Matthew McNulty, who plays Jack, was Steve Campbell in the wonderful Deadwater Fell,  which is also found on Acorn TV.
  •    Geraldine James, who plays CC Carolyn Jarecki,  was 65 years old in the filming. Her resumé is enormous.
  •   Douglas Henshall, who plays DCS Hepburn,  was DI Jimmy Pere in Shetland.  He appears in many familiar series.
  •   Was there ever a more familiar veteran than Phil Davis ( who plays Tom Piper) ? He has played in everything (slight exaggeration but just take a glance at his IMDB entry).

For most of the 3 episodes I spent much time trying to figure out who is corrupt. There are a lot of name to remember, but names are used a lot. And some of those names are bad guys, so stay alert.

So well done that I feel obliged to say DO NOT MISS!

2019, Abuse of Women, Binge worthy, Bloody scenes, Catholic culture, Creepy, Dark, Detective, Drugs, Ethical struggles, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Flashbacks, Forensics, Frame someone for a crime, Illegitimate Child, Lawyers, Marital Infidelity, Mother-son relations, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Occasionaly violent, Panic Attacks, Police Investigation, Problematic Ending, Psychiatrists, Psychological Drama, Psychological Thriller, Religious Theme, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Violent, Wrestling

Reckoning (2019)

Leave a comment

From IMDB:

Explores the darkest corners of the male psyche through the eyes of two fathers, one of whom is a serial-killer.

From Netflix you can stream the 10 episodes of this serial-killer soap opera. Each episode lasts about 45 minutes.

Far from being a predictable serial-killer police procedural, this series is a study in psychology that involves a large cast of well presented characters.

From almost the earliest episodes, your hunch as to which character is the RRK serial killer will be vindicated.  But having the police catch the killer is not the only important focus.  Additionally we watch the interaction of that killer with all the others involved.

Sean Barker, the Australian actor that plays Edgar Harris, steals the show.   Aden Young, the Canadian actor that plays detective Mike Serrato,  plays as tortured a personality as does Sean Barker.

There is a conclusion, but it will not be what you might expect. Be prepared possibly for a final moment in which you ask “Is that really the end of the story?”

BINGE WORTHY!