Category Archives: Suspense

2019, Abduction, Amazon Prime, Boating, British, British Mystery Series, Brother-Sister relations, Crime, Detective, Drug Dealers, Drugs, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Marital Infidelity, Mentally impaired person, Missing Person, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Teenagers, Torture, Violent

The Bay (2019)

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THIRD SEASON:

This hit original crime drama returns with White Collar’s Marsha Thomason as DS Jenn Townsend, who must get under the skin of a complicated family to solve the death of a young aspiring boxer.

From Amazon there is now a third season each of whose 6 episodes last about 45 minutes.

Lead detective is a newcomer D.S. Jenn Townsend, played by Marsha Thomason.  Her personal difficulties conflict with her investigation into the beating death of one of the sons in a Muslim family headed by the mother Miriam Rahman, played by Rina Mahoney.

D.S. Townsend is divorced and is now living with her two children and a new lover Chris Fischer, played by Barry Sloane.  Chris has his own two children, one of whom is very difficult and quite nasty toward one of Townsend’s children Conor. Conor is desperately unhappy and wants to return to his father.

In the Rahman family in addition to the dead boxer son, there is a troublesome Adnan and deaf-mute Jamal. Fortunately Townsend’s sidekick D.S. Karen Hobson, played by Eric Shanagher, knows sign language and can communicate with the devout Muslim Jamal.

Another great season well worth watching.

SECOND SEASON:

From Amazon there is now a second season also with 6 episodes and a complete story.

Acting and plot continue to be worthwhile watching.  Once again the human interest is at least as important as the crimes (plural) involved.  Lisa starts out as an underdog in the police department but by the end of the 6 episodes she shines at the top while having suffered along with many other characters in the interim.

Still very much worth a watch.

FIRST SEASON:

From Amazon Prime:

When Family Liaison Officer Lisa Armstrong is assigned to a missing persons investigations, it initially seems like any other – tragic, but all too familiar. This time, it is especially challenging for her not to get emotionally involved.

From Amazon Prime you can stream the 6 45-minute episodes of this TV series. It may be called Season 1 but any following season does not seem likely because the story is complete in 6 episodes.

If everyone involved is somehow badly affected in a plot, is that plot called a tragedy?  This story comes across as bad news for all the characters.

Telling you how the story starts is not a spoiler since it happens immediately at the beginning.  You see the officer Lisa going out for a “girls night out” in a night club.  She hooks up with a stranger and they have sex outside in an ally behind the club.  From then on the plot thickens. Murder, drugs, delinquent children, infidelity, assault, and missing persons are all on the list.

Among the delinquents are Lisa own two children. Fortunately her mother lives with her and usually substitutes for Lisa who is too often called away with some emergency.   Holly, the missing girl, is a member of the dysfunctional Meredith family which has the usual problems (unfaithful dad, etc.) and also has a live-in grandmother.  These two families have real problems with their children, and their lives intertwine.

Similar to many such detective series, but the human interest in the 6 episodes held our attention.

 

2018, Abuse of Women, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Action Film, Action Hero, Bloody scenes, Brother-Sister relations, Bullying, Child abuse, Complicated, Confusing Plot, Corruption, Could Be Hard To Watch, Detective, Disturbing Image, Dystopia, Explicit sex, Father-son relations, Fist Fight, Gloomy, Gory, Grim, Human Cloning, Invincible Hero, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Police Corruption, Prostitutes, Romance, Sadism, Sci-Fi, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Torture, Valium appropriate

Altered Carbon (2018)

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From IMDB:

ALTERED CARBON is set in a future where consciousness is digitized and stored in cortical stacks implanted in the spine, allowing humans to survive physical death by having their memories and consciousness “re-sleeved” into new bodies. The story follows specially trained “Envoy” soldier Takeshi Kovacs, who is downloaded from an off-world prison and into a combat ready sleeve at the behest of Laurens Bancroft, a highly influential aristocrat. Bancroft was killed, and the last automatic backup of his stack was made hours before his death, leaving him with no memory of who killed him and why. While police ruled it a suicide, Bancroft is convinced he was murdered and wants Kovacs to find out the truth. 

From Netflix you can stream currently one season but soon two seasons of this science fiction series. Season 1 consists of 10 episodes, each of which last about an hour.

Would you like to live forever? Be careful what you wish for. In a dank earthly atmosphere reminiscent of “Blade Runner”, this series presents a really gloomy future in which a “person” is digitally encapsulated into a small disk that is somehow inserted into the spinal column. By now it is unimportant into which body that disk is inserted, so that each person is now wearing their current “sleeve”. Real death can only occur if the disk is destroyed.  Therefore, when you see a person, you don’t really know who that is. Your grandmother can look like a pot-bellied biker.

As you might guess from the last paragraph, the plot can get really complicated.  In fact I must confess that most of the time I am fairly confused about what is happening.  But I understand enough to continue watching this inhuman plot, somewhat to my shame.

Digital wizardry continually produces really bizarre scenes. Unfortunately the series is ultra violent and portrays a very decadent society that delights in cruelty. Ancient Rome anyone?

Of the many actors, two stand out:

  • Joel Kinnaman plays Takeshi Kovacs who is the action [anti-]hero  tof the story.  “But wait”, you say, “that’s an Asian name and Joel Kinnaman is Swedish.”  Ah yes, but that’s because the actor for much of the series is wearing his Swedish “sleeve.”  See what I mean?
  • James Purefoy , as is often the case, is the smooth arch villain Laurens Bancroft.  He does dangerously evil to perfection.

There is an awful lot of Kung Fu fighting which could get boring. Possibly the story drags on too long.  Sometimes the plot turns are too good to be true.  Torture scenes are horribly explicit.  So just begin to watch and judge for yourself whether the slog is worth the effort.

Possibly the only worthwhile effect this story had on me was that I more easily accept that it is fitting that our life has a beginning, middle, and END.

2014, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Belgian detective, Bloody scenes, Could Be Hard To Watch, Detective, Disturbing Image, Dutch, Gory, Grim, MHz Choice, Missing Person, Not Recommended, Police cover-up, Psychopath, Rape, Sadism, Serial Killer, Suspense, Torture, Violent

The Killer of Flanders Fields (2014)

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From IMDB:

Witse returns to his hometown to find his niece’s murderer. It doesn’t take long before Witse gets in trouble with local police authorities. While conducting his investigation, old family issues are starting to surface.

From MHz Choice you can stream this 1.5 hour police procedural from Belgium. In Dutch with English subtitles.

For 9 seasons Belgium TV offered the program Witse featuring the detective Witse. That series ran from 2004 till 2012.

Before starting this film, be aware that it is the story of Witse trying to catch the sadistic psychotic serial killer that kidnaps young women and tortures them to death.  During the film you will see the killer’s very horrifying film clips of his tortures.  You might want to avoid this well-done but sadly stomach-churning film.  Had I known, I would not have started, but once hooked I had to see the conclusion.

2020, Acceptable for teenagers, Based on a Book, Blackmail, Bloody scenes, British, Clever Plot, Complicated, Conspiracy, DO NOT MISS, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Financial malfeasance, Friendship, Happy Family Gatherings, High school students, Illegitimate Child, Marital Infidelity, Muchausen's by proxy, Muchausen's syndrome, Murder, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Personal Betrayal, Police Corruption, Suspense, Teenagers, Thriller, Violent, Wife leaves husband, Womanizing

The Stranger (2020)

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From IMDB:

Follows the lives of suburban families whose secrets and lies are made public by the appearance of a stranger.

From Netflix you can stream the 8 roughly 50 minute episodes of this thriller based on the book The Stranger which Harlan Coben wrote in 2015.

Starting in 1995 Harlan Coben (who at this writing is 58 years old) has written a book a year. If you have never read a book by Coben and if you like clever thrillers, you are in for a treat. So far every Coben book I have read was gripping and a real pleasure.

Plot is all important and usually complicated in a Coben novel. However his treatment of character is well done. In the TV version the actors do not disappoint:

All this actors have incredibly extensive resumés. You just cannot go wrong watching this series.

DO NOT MISS!

2018, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Acorn TV, Action Film, Australian, Brother-Sister relations, Car Chase, Controlling personality, Convenience store robbery, Detective, Drugs, Extramarital Affair, Forensics, Illegitimate Child, Murder, Narcissistic Personality, Sociopath, Suspense

Dead Lucky (2018)

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From Acorn TV:

Oscar® nominee Rachel Griffiths (Six Feet Under) headlines this cinematic, fast-paced thriller. Detective Grace Gibbs is obsessed with catching the armed robber who killed her partner, while her new trainee (Yoson An, Mortal Engines) blames her for his best friend’s death. The feuding detectives must work together to hunt down a killer who is leaving a trail of broken lives across Sydney.

From Acorn TV you can stream the four episodes of this one-season thriller. Each episode is just under an hour.

Rachel Griffiths, the Australian actress who plays Detective Grace Gibbs, has a very impressive resumé. Possibly you remember her as Brenda Chenowith in “Six Feet Under” way back in  2001.  In “Dead Lucky” her character is a capable,  hard-boiled, curt, demanding woman divorced from a narcotics detective Matt O’Reilly, played by former Australian Rugby League footballer Matt Nable.  Yoson An  as the novice detective Charlie Fung gives a credible performance.

There are too many characters and sub-threads in the plot to be able to discuss them. Suffices to say that all these pieces are important to the plot and atmosphere.  Human interactions are the driving force in the story.

Sustained tension, a suspenseful and satisfying ending all add up to a worthwhile presentation.

2018, Amazon Prime, Basically Sad, Bullying, Child abuse, Child Molestation, Conspiracy, Corruption, Crime, Drama, Dysfunctional Lives, Father-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Pedophilia, Physical child abuse, Police Corruption, Police cover-up, Psychological Drama, Sensitive treatement of emotions, Suspense, Violent, Wonderful acting

A Dark Place (2018)

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From IMDB:

When a young boy goes missing in a sleepy backwoods town, a local sanitation truck driver, Donald, plays detective, embarking on a precarious and obsessive investigation.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 29 minute feature film.

Hats off to the incredibly talented and adaptable Irish actor Andrew Scott.  You can watch him in Fleabag and Handsome Devil. In “Fleabag” (Amazon Prime) he plays a Catholic priest. In “Handsome Devil” he plays a somewhat closeted gay private school teacher. In “A Dark Place” he plays to perfection a personality-disabled obsessive compulsive garbage man.

If I had to make an amateur guess, I would says the character suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome. His withdrawn and hesitant demeanor reflects the small town’s low opinion and dismissal of him.  But he is NOT stupid. In fact his determined obsessiveness coupled with his native intelligence drive him to expose an atrocious  crime which was covered over by corrupt forces in the town.  What I marvel most about this film is Scott’s ability to channel a lonely disliked oddball to such an extent that I ended up commiserating with and rooting for the character.  Facial expressions and physical movement are part of Scott’s acting toolbox.

Speaking of facial expressions, don’t miss the last grimace of the sheriff.

Corrupt bullies versus a disadvantaged good guy is a scenario that always holds my attention.

DO NOT MISS!

 

2018, Abandoned child, Abuse of Women, Addiction, Amusing banter, Bloody scenes, Child custody, Clever Plot, Creepy, Disturbing Image, Drugs, Emotional child abuse, Erotic Thriller, Family Conflict, Flirting, Jealousy, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Psychological Thriller, Revenge, Self-Deception, Sex Scenes, Stalker, Suspense, Unusual, Violent, Vulgar

You (2018)

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From IMDB:

A dangerously charming, intensely obsessive young man goes to extreme measures to insert himself into the lives of those he is transfixed by.

From Netflix you can stream two seasons of this somewhat creepy series. Each season contains 10 episodes each of which lasts about 45 minutes.

Joe Goldberg (played by Penn Badgley) at first seems just to be an obsessive stalker.  But harmless he is not. Joe spends 20 episodes talking silently to himself and rationalizing his behavior by somehow letting himself believe that everything he does is for love.  Along the way he manages to kill an awful lot of people in the name of love.

Is Joe mentally ill or just some kind of narcissist that chooses murder as a way to continue  his quest for love?  In any case he is not a serial killer in the accepted sense of the word.

Why watch Joe’s lethal progress?

  •  All along we expect Joe to be killed or caught.  But cleverly unexpected events constantly occur to save Joe’s skin.
  • Trendy dialog rules the day, especially in LA.
  •  In face to face conversations, no matter what tight spot he is in, Joe always manages to manufacture a spin response.
  • Good acting enhances a story that is never boring (although the very end seems to drag a bit).
  •  Segments of Joe’s history as a sad, traumatized child are injected often to explain his current behavior.

Curiosity (as to how on earth this story ends) more than anything kept me hooked to these 20 episodes.

2014, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Action Film, Action Hero, Assisted Suicide, Based on a Book, Bloody scenes, British History, Chick Flick, Child abuse, Child Molestation, Coarse manners, Could Be Hard To Watch, Disturbing Image, DO NOT MISS, Explicit sex, Explicit sexual discussion, Father-son relations, Flirting, French Culture, Frontier Life, Gaelic, Gay theme, Good Brother - Bad Brother, Historical Fiction, Husband leaves wife, Illegitimate Child, Improbable details, Magic, Marital Infidelity, Medical Theme, Melodrama, Military, Murder, Murder by poison, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Personal Betrayal, Prison, Rape, Revenge, Romance, Sadism, Scottish, Sex Scenes, Sexual Tension, Smallpox, Sociopath, Suspense, Torture, Various Romances, Violent, Vulgar

Outlander (2014)

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From Wikipedia:

Outlander is a drama television series based upon author Diana Gabaldon‘s historical time travel book series of the same name.  It stars Caitriona Balfe as Claire Randall, a married former World War II nurse who in 1946 finds herself transported back to Scotland in 1743. There she encounters the dashing Highland warrior Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) and becomes embroiled in the Jacobite risings.

There exist or will exist at this writing 5 seasons of this very successful series. From Netflix you can stream 3 seasons. Starz is offering  at least 4 seasons. Season 1 has 15 episodes. Seasons 2,3,and 4 have 13 episodes. Season 5 is promised by Starz but not yet available today (Jan11,2020).

Summarizing a plot that goes on forever is pointless. If this type of adventure soap opera appeals to you, then you just emerse yourself and plow through.  Personally I could not stop watching probably because like all good potboilers our hero and heroine repeatedly get caught in some dilemma only to eventually extricate themselves.

Some of the subplots are a bit over the top. When the couple escape to Paris from somewhat bleak and primitive Scotland, they suddenly are dressing to the hilt and acting like socialites.  In fact you have to suspend disbelief in the details. Just enjoy the superstitions and magic.

Expect to see much violence, wounds, blood, and lashings. Some of the scenes are cringe-worthy.  Especially BEWARE season 1 episode 15 “Wentworth Prison” in which the evil Black Jack (played to sadistic perfection by Tobias Menzies ) tortures and rapes Jamie.

As a further reward, this series has some of the best sex scenes I have ever seen.  These scenes are successful because they hinge on real emotions and are truly not pornographic.

Bets are on that once you start watching, you will not be able to stop.

DO NOT MISS

 

 

2001, Acceptable for teenagers, Amazon Prime, Forensics, Happy Family Gatherings, Hunting, Mormon theme, Murder, Murder Investigation, Religious Theme, Serial Killer, Small Town Atmosphere, Suspense, Thought provoking, Unusual

Brigham City (2001)

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From Amazon Prime:

Sheriff Wes Clayton is also a Mormon bishop in a picturesque little burg called Brigham City whose residents are stalked by an unknown serial killer. This mystery will keep you on the edge of your seat until the shocking final twist.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 2 hour complete film.

When Wes discovers the first dead and mutilated body in Brigham City, his immediate reaction is to call the FBI and suppress any news of the murder in his perfect, quiet, respectful, Mormon village. Folks in Brigham City do not even lock their doors at night and Wes aims to keep it that way. Gradually the idyllic village atmosphere changes to one of mutual suspicion as the bodies pile up.

Is this film a piece of Mormon evangelizing?  Certainly the clean-cut lives of the families is appealing. More than one Mormon religious service is acted out.  But there is a genuine point to the story: for Wes this wrenching experience is a test of faith and indeed Wes is sorely tested.  Perhaps we non-Mormons are represented by the woman FBI agent who sees something appealing in the Mormon way of life and who seems to be searching for meaning.

Investigation details are well done.  Never mind the slick TV detective stories. Imagine staying awake for 48 hours dusting over 400 beer bottles for fingerprints that might lead to the killer.

Along the way there are scenes in which you are lead to think “Aha, so that’s who the killer is.” But you would be wrong. Possibly you can guess the real killer before the surprising final solution.

Don’t expect a Hollywood production.  Perhaps a few scenes may seem maudlin. But for some reason I found the slow pace, personal details, and village life appealing. Personally I enjoyed the film.

2019, Acceptable for teenagers, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Action Film, Aliens from outer space, Bisexual theme, Bloody scenes, Cancer theme, Computer geeks, Drugs, Ends in Cliff Hanger, Explicit sexual discussion, Father-daughter relations, Good digital effects, Happy Family Gatherings, Mediocre, Melodrama, Mildly Violent, Mother-daughter relations, Nasty Aliens, Netflix Streaming, Nothing special, Nudity, Romance, Sci-Fi, Sex Scenes, Sexual Tension, Suspense, Various Romances, Vulgar, Young Adults

Another Life (2019)

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From IMDB:

Astronaut Niko Breckenridge and her young crew face unimaginable danger as they go on a high-risk mission to explore the genesis of an alien artifact.

From Netflix you can stream the only season made so far of this series. Each of the 10 episodes lasts about 45 minutes except for the first episode which lasts an hour.

What makes this mediocre (and possible waste of time) series  different is that it is mostly about the inter-relations of the VERY young crew. Along the way you hear a lot of technical space babble. Who knows if any of that jargon approaches reality?  One crisis after another plagues the crew. Fortunately with each crisis there is some far-fetched solution. In a way it makes for easy watching when every seemingly insurmountable problem has a quick and often hokey fix. Eventually there must be another season because the story is just taking off when the season comes to a halt.

When I was a kid I went every Saturday morning to a movie theatre and spent the outrageous entry fee of 20 cents  to see one cartoon, one comedy short, an episode of a series starring such wonders as Superman, and a full-length feature film.  Every episode of that series ended with our hero in some jam. Next episode gets the hero out of that jam only to trap him in another jam. Needless to say, I could hardly wait for the next week’s exciting episode. Similarly I was compelled to binge watch “Another Life” to see how the kids (as I said, a VERY young crew) solved the current problem.

At least it was a welcome break from all the crime stories.