Category Archives: Suicide

Abduction, Abuse of Women, Alcoholism, B-movie, Contract Killing, Corny at times, Corruption, Crime, Drug Dealers, Drugs, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Father-son relations, Love Story, Marital Infidelity, Mediocre, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Oligarchy, Police Culture, Rape, Revenge, Russian detectives, Sometimes seems silly, Suicide, Violent

Silver Spoon (2014)

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From Netflix  you can stream 12 episodes of season 1. Russian is spoken and the subtitles are in English.

As far as I can remember, this is the first Russian TV series I have ever watched. One the one hand much of the mechanics of this police procedural resemble other such series, however there are elements which must be a part of Russian culture that we don’t see in other presentations.

At first face Igor is a wealthy playboy who gets into enough trouble that his powerful father forces him to work as a beginning cop. As the plot thickens Igor improves as a person eventually becoming competent in his job. But dogging him throughout the series is the background quest to learn who killed his mother. This quest leads to all kinds of conflicts that delve into the oligarchic corruption that is Russia. In addition there is a romantic triangle involving conflict between Igor and his rival for the attentions of Igor’s female boss in the police department.

Besides the constant presence and influence of powerful, wealthy, and often unscrupulous oligarchs, there is the constant and pervasive problem of alcoholism in the general population. In fact, whenever Igor has a setback, he gets drunk. Russian alcoholism is NOT a myth or cliché. Go to Google to learn that although from time to time the Russian authorities try to combat the problem, basically the government is hypocritical in that it is the government that sells and profits from the alcohol.

Because I was fascinated by what I hope is an honest portrait of life in Russia, I watched all 12 episodes. HOWEVER, I cannot recommend this show as good drama. Often the acting is insufficient. From my viewpoint, the plots for the most part are unrealistic and offer simplistic and far too easy solutions. In the beginning of the series (which is really boring and terribly amateur) Igor just spends Trump-like amounts of money to solve not only his problems, but also those of the police. Igor’s “conversion” is only somewhat believable. He could never survive on a policeman’s salary. Many of the emotional moments are just plain corny.

Finally, before you commit to all 12 episodes, I think it only fair to warn you (spoiler alert!) to not expect a happy ending. In fact, the ending reeks of Russian despair.

2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, Bloody scenes, Bullying, Car Chase, Corruption, Could Be Hard To Watch, Crime, Crude Talk, Detective, Drug Dealers, Forensics, French Detective Series, Gangs, Gay theme, Grisly, Homophobia, Lawyers, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Occasional gore, Police Culture, Police Politics, Pornographic Scenes, Prison, Prostitutes, Psychiatrists, Rape, Revenge, Sadism, Sociopath, Spousal Abuse, Suicide, Suspense, Thriller, Torture, Unscrupulous drive to power, Various Romances, Violent, Vulgar, Wife Beating

Spiral (2005)

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From IMDB:

Follows criminal investigations in Paris from all the different points of view of a criminal investigation.

Netflix streaming brings you 4 seasons of this French TV series:

  • Season 1: 2005    8 episodes
  • Season 2: 2008    8 episodes
  • Season 3: 2010 12 episodes
  • Season 4: 2012  12 episodes
  • Season 5: 2015  12 episodes
  • Season 6: 2016  12 episodes

Season 7 is currently being produced in France. Spoken French with optional English subtitles.

“Engrenages” is the French title which means “gears”, the theme being how intertwined are the lives of criminals, police personnel, lawyers (honorable or prostituted by greed), ambitious (and seemingly entirely corrupt) politicians and innocent civilians. Various crimes (murder, spousal abuse, drugs, prostitution, gun running) are investigated.  Actors are matched flawlessly to their characters.

Such a long-running series will, of course, require many actors. But several stand out:

  • Grégory Fitoussi is the honest lawyer Pierre Clément.
  • Audrey Fleurot  is the greedy, amoral, beautiful lawyer Joséphine Karlsson who specializes in defending the scum of the earth for large sums of money.
  • Caroline Proust is the extremely competent, tough, but constantly embattled police detective Laure Berthaud.
  • Philippe Duclos is Juge Roban, an honest judge who has to constantly fight to stay honest.

Because of its variety of characters and their interactions, the many tense situations, the constant battle between corruption and honesty, this series has been immensely popular. Sometimes the many car chases border on boring. But this is NOT your average detective show. Call it a soap opera if you wish, nonetheless it remains compelling.

FIRST WARNING: Each season will end with a cliff hanger enticing you to watch the next season.

SECOND WARNING: You must have a strong stomach to watch these often brutal, violent, sadistic, and bloody episodes.  Tension runs as constantly high in this series as in any I have seen.

2013, Abduction, Amazon Prime, Bloody scenes, Brother-Brother relations, Child abuse, Computer geeks, Crime thriller, Detective, Disturbing Image, Dysfunctional Lives, Emotional child abuse, Forensics, French, French Detective Series, Grim, Mental Illness, Missing Person, Murder Investigation, Psychiatrists, Psychological Thriller, Revenge, Serial Killer, Suicide, Suspense, Violent

Lanester (2013)

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From Amazon Prime:

In the west of Paris, three strange murders are committed. Each time, the victim is eviscerated before being arranged in a macabre display. While discovering one of these, police commander Eric Lanester loses his sight. With the help of Gabrielle, a young woman taxi driver, the cop nevertheless continues his investigation, which soon awakens demons he considered buried forever.

Originally, as far as I can tell, “Lanester” was just a French film that told only one story. But now from Amazon Prime you can download three episodes of Season 1. Each episode (with English subtitles) last about 1 hour 30 minutes. Moreover each episode is dated December 31, 2013. Running through all three episodes is a strongly unifying theme involving Police Commander Lanester and his mentally ill brother. All of which seems to suggest that the original film was re-packaged into three episodes.

In any case, the story is compelling enough to recommend. Just beware that there are depicted grisly murders.

2013, British, Bullying, Could Be Sad, Drama, Ethical struggles, Gloomy, Journalist, Mental Illness, Military, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Revenge, Sad small town, Small British village, Suicide, Violent, War Veterans

Southcliffe (2013)

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From IMDB:

Following a raft of shootings in an English market town, the crimes are retold through the eyes of a journalist and the tragedies’ victims.

Netflix Steaming offers 4 episodes of so-called Season 1. However, as far as I can tell the story ends with the fourth episode.

After watching the miserable life of the long-suffering shooter so that we understand why he goes berserk, we get to know some of the inhabitants of the sad, small British town Southcliffe. David Whitehead, the reporter who is also a native of Southcliffe and who has bitter memories of the town, is the center of the story as he digs for information and interviews various townies. There are two guilty provocateurs, each with his own reaction to the shootings.

Basically this is a very depressing story with not a bit of sunlight visible, despite the fact that it is very well done. You are warned.

 

 

2016, Big Pharma, British Mystery Series, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Detective, Divorce, Eccentric Detective, Extramarital Affair, Harmful Medicine, International thriler, Made For TV, Medical Theme, Mental Illness, Mother-son relations, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Police Culture, Psychiatrists, Psychological Drama, Suicide, Suspense, Uncategorized

Paranoid (2016)

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From IMDB:

The murder of a female GP in a rural playground in front of numerous witnesses draws a group of detectives into an ever-darkening mystery that takes them across Europe, aided by mysterious notes sent by the “Ghost Detective”.

Netflix originated this so-far-one-season eight episode British detective series. Wife Kathy and I anxiously streamed each episode. However, if you read some of the 115 viewer reviews you will find tremendously varying opinions.

Basically a woman is murdered in plain daylight in a children’s playground and it takes 8 episodes to learn why and who. Along the way we meet a smarmy psychiatrist, a nervous wreck of a policeman, an uncontrollably outspoken policewoman, a Quaker woman, and lots of other characters with problems. If you liked “Happy Valley”, you may well enjoy this series.

Some reviewers hated the troubled characters, especially the policeman Bobby. But cringing at his  behavior just added to the attraction to the plot.

IMDB gives you the list of actors. Most notable are:

  • Indira Varma is the somewhat wacky policewoman. She played Ellaria Sand in “Game of Thrones”.
  • Michael Maloney is the psychiatrist. Because he so often plays suspicious characters, every time I see him I think “here comes the villain”.
  • Robert Glenister, the nervous cop,  appears just about everywhere in British TV series. He was Owen Preece in “Vera”.

For us this series was a pleasant and compelling discovery, although seemingly not to everyone’s taste.

2016, Acceptable for children, Based on a Book, Comedy, Could Be Sad, Drama, Feel Good For All, Gay theme, Interest in automobiles, Interest in cats, Journalist, Love Story, Senior citizens, Suicide, Swedish, Trains

A Man Called Ove (2016)

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From Netflix:

Despite being deposed as president of his condo’s resident association, 59-year-old misanthrope Ove continues to plague his neighbors with dictatorial demands. But when Ove’s new neighbor runs over his mailbox, the old crank finds he’s met his match.

Beginning December 2016 Netflix will offer the DVD for this Swedish film with English subtitles.

Based on the book by Fredrik Backman first published in 2012, the film adaptation, according to wife Kathy who read this very popular book with her book club, is faithful to the original plot.

Although the film begins when Ove is 59 years old, the films spends a lot of time in flashbacks to his younger years. In a nutshell, Ove has suffered many personal losses in his lifetime, and is now so lonely he contemplates suicide, although his comic attempts never succeed. What saves Ove are all the new neighbors moving into his housing development.

Although the film has many sad points, it also has just as many funny spots.  For example, Ove’s competition with a close friend is based on the fact that  Ove drives  Saabs whereas the friend drives Volvos.

Here is one of those films for the entire family that you could describe as “feel good.” If you want to get away from sex and violence and nasty politics, this is the film for you.

 

1995, 1997, 1998, Acceptable Science, Acorn TV, AIDS, Alcoholism, British Mystery Series, Brother-Brother relations, Detective, DNA, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Forensics, Medical Theme, Murder Investigation, Prostitutes, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Suicide, Suspense, TV Series, Uncategorized, Various Romances, Well developed plot

McCallum (1995)

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From IMDB:

From deep within the morgue at St. Patrick’s Hospital in London’s East End, Dr. Iain McCallum and Dr. Angela Moloney along with a team of brilliant pathologists and detectives help the dead tell their stories.

Previously I reviewed the Scottish TV series “Rebus” which in its first season starred John Hannah. Subsequently I discovered the TV series “McCallum” also starring John Hannah. Both can be streamed from Acorn TV (currently $4.99 per month).

“McCallum” is at least as good if not better than similar series. Much like “Vera“,  each episode is approximately one and a half hours. Series 1 offers four episodes whereas Series 2 offers five episodes.

Rather than a simple who-done-it, this series similar to the other high quality series has a running theme which features other story threads. Almost without exception, each such series deals with the home life (or home non-life) of the main sleuth.  Of course, you can expect a few romances along the way.

One possibly unique characteristic, is that John Hannah as Dr. Iain McCallum the forensic pathologist must constantly prevent the detective DI Bracken from rushing to false conclusions.

“McCallum” does not seem to be as bloody as other series, nor as violent Still, however, not for children.

If this is your genre, you cannot go wrong. In fact, if this is your genre, DO NOT MISS!

2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, Abduction, Acorn TV, Ambiguous Conclusion, Bloody scenes, British Mystery Series, Child custody, Confusing Plot, Could Be Sad, Detective, Divorce, Eccentric Detective, Emotional abuse, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Forensics, Gritty, Lawyers, Made For TV, Murder Investigation, Orphans in Foster Care, Revenge, Spousal Abuse, Suicide, Suspense, TV Series, Violent

Vera (2011)

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From AcornTV:

Two-time Oscar nominee Brenda Blethyn stars as DCI Vera Stanhope a solitary, obsessed, caustic, brilliant investigator, and a bit disheveled; think female Columbo.

From AcornTV you can stream 6 years of this British TV series which first started in 2011 and went on for 7 years through 2017. AcornTV does not offer 2017. Each year, or “set”, consists of 4 episodes. Surely 24 episodes will keep you busy for awhile (binge – anyone ?). Each episode is approximately 1.5 hours.

DCI Vera is as personally distant as her sidekick DS Joe Ashworth (played by David Leon) is personable. An important thread in the series is their relationship. For example, Vera’s refusal in one episode to even consider being the Godmother to Joe’s latest newborn child is really hurtful. But Joe seems to understand her aloofness and accepts it begrudgingly. In one episode Joe insists on taking Vera for a doctor’s visit because of her sudden stress-related faintness.

Just remember that British police procedurals are not for the faint of heart. Could that be why I enjoy them so much?

2000, 2005, Abduction, Acorn TV, Alcoholism, Ambiguous Conclusion, Based on a Book, Bloody scenes, Child abuse, Child Molestation, Conspiracy, Crime thriller, Dark, Detective, Drug Dealers, Dysfunctional Lives, Father-daughter relations, Gangs, Grim, Grisly, Gritty, Ian Rankin, Murder, Murder Investigation, Police Corruption, Police Culture, Prison, Prostitutes, Revenge, Scottish, Suicide, Suspense, Thriller, Violent

Rebus (2000)

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From IMDB:

Set in Edinburgh, the mercurial Detective Inspector John Rebus’s investigations lead him through the city’s ancient beauty and into its more sinister quarters.

From Wikipedia:

Rebus is the title of the detective drama TV series based on the Inspector Rebus novels by the Scottish author Ian Rankin set in and around Edinburgh. The series was produced by STV Productions (previously known as “SMG Productions”) for the ITV network.

Four series have been aired; series 1 starred John Hannah and was made for STV by his own production company, Clerkenwell Films. A new cast featuring Ken Stott as DI John Rebus was introduced for the second and subsequent series (which went into production in 2005, made in-house by STV).

From AcornTV:

Adapted from the novels by acclaimed writer Ian Rankin, the Rebus stories have been applauded for their intricate plots, keen characterization, and flawless sense of place. CC Available.

Acorn TV offers all 4 series.

Just be aware that these excellent productions are grim. It seems that a divorced, unhappy, obsessive detective is a standard cliché. But that does not stop the suspenseful, well-acted stories from being a real treat for lovers of the genre.

Never, never expect a happy ending!

2011, Abduction, Basically Sad, Born Again Christians, Detective, Drama, Ethical struggles, Explicit sex, Extramarital Affair, Gay theme, Homophobia, Muddled biblical references, Philosophic Discussions, Psychological Thriller, Religious Theme, Revenge, Suicide, Suspense, Thought provoking

The Ledge (2011)

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From IMDB:

A police officer looks to talk down a young man lured by his lover’s husband to the ledge of a high rise, where he has one hour to contemplate a fateful decision.

NetFlix offers a DVD containing this 1hr 41min drama that essentially is a debate between religious fundamentalism and humanism.

Do not be turned off initially by the word “debate” nor by Patrick Wilson’s moralistic preaching because there are quite a few thought provoking details in what is to a large part also a love story about people who have suffered and managed to rise again. As the story progresses you learn more and more about each of the characters until you reach the surprising climax which I refuse to spoil.

Four principal actors are:

  • Charlie Hunnam plays Gavin Nichols who becomes Shana’s lover.
  • Liv Tyler who plays Shana Harris.
  • Patrick Wilson who plays Joe Harris, Shana’s husband.
  • Terrence Howard who plays Detective Hollis Lucetti. Hollis has his own personal drama which is interwoven with the main plot.

This review is written in 2016 at a time whenreligious fundamentalism threatens to tear the world apart. With this problem in mind, this film is especially timely.