Category Archives: Bloody scenes

2019, Acceptable for teenagers, Anti-Semitism, Attempted Rape, Attempted Suicide, Bloody scenes, Bullying, Career Competition, Conspiracy, Corrupt Military, Detective, Drama, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, Forensics, Jewish Culture, Mental Illness, Mild Torture, Military, Military Corruption, Military School, Mother-son relations, Murder by poison, Old-Fashioned, PBS Masterpiece Streaming, Police Politics, Portraiture, Possibly upsetting ending, Psychopath, Psychotic Attacks, Sadism, Self-harm, Spiritualist, Suspense, Vienna of 1900, Violent

Vienna Blood (2019)

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From PBS Streaming:

A student of Sigmund Freud and an Austrian detective team up to solve some of the most mysterious and deadly cases in early 1900s Vienna.

From PBS Masterpiece Streaming you can watch 6 episodes, each lasting about 45 minutes.  Each of the three stories encompasses 2 episodes.

Changes were happening in 1900s Vienna.   Oskar Reinhardt is an Austrian detective who, when the series begins, is used to old-school methods that can involve using violence against suspects.  Little by little he adapts to using the newer methods of Max Liebermann. Max is a doctor working in a hospital run by a bully that is fond of using electrotherapy.  Max, as a student of Sigmund Freud, is more attuned to using psychological methods for understanding and curing his patients.

One important theme is Vienna’s virulent  antisemitism.  Max is the eldest son of an observant Jewish family.  As a subplot, Max is engaged to one woman (a Jewess) but falls in love with one of his patients (a gentile) whom he cured using Freudian methods.

Oskar is in constant mourning over the death of his young daughter. As a result his wife has at least temporarily left him.

In each of the 3 murder cases, Oskar stands fast against the prejudices and rush to judgement of his superiors.  Similarly Max stands fast against the malpractice of his own superiors.

Be at least warned that the third story leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

Old-fashioned and well-done drama.

2009, Abandoned child, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Amazon Prime, Bad Acting, Bloody scenes, British, British Mystery Series, Bullying, Child abuse, Could Be Hard To Watch, Emotional child abuse, Father-son relations, Grim, Grisly, Narcissistic Personality, Occasional gore, Pedophilia, Psychopath, Rape, Sadism, Serial Killer, Suspense, Unloved Child, Violent

Above Suspicion (2009)

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From Amazon Prime:

Does rookie detective Anna Travis have what it takes to succeed in what is still mostly a man’s world? Based on the bestselling novels by Lynda La Plante, this hit British police drama is a “younger, sassier successor to Prime Suspect” (The Telegraph, U.K.)

From Amazon Prime you can stream seasons 1 and 2 of the 4 existing seasons. Season 1 consists of 2 episodes lasting roughly an hour each. Season 2 consists of 3 episodes each lasting about 45 minutes.

“Grim” is the word that immediately comes to mind.  An effort was made to present some really gory scenes.  Fortunately the two stories offer plots that are good enough to warrant watching. Fortunately, I say, because the lead detective DCS James Langton is played by Ciarán Hinds who as a loud ham of an actor is a bit hard to take.  His sidekick opponent Anna Travis learns to stand up to Langton’s offish bullying.

Gory but watchable.

2021, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Action sequences, Bloody scenes, Confusing Plot, Could be boring, Detective, Drug Dealers, Failed Father, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, French, French Detectives, Friendship, Good Brother - Bad Brother, Harlan Coben, Imperfect, Mediocre, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Nothing special, Plot twists, Revenge, Suspense, Violent

Gone For Good (2021)

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From Netflix:

Ten years after losing two loved ones, a man is plunged into another dizzying mystery when his girlfriend vanishes. Based on a Harlan Coben novel.

From Netflix you can stream the 6 episodes, each episode less than one hour, of the serialized adaptation of Coben’s 2001 novel of the same name. French with English subtitles.

Even the reviews of Coben’s novel complain that this is not one of his better novels.  Confusing plot twists, hard to accept events, and other defects, despite the many action sequences, make the story sadly forgettable.

In fact, I was tempted to stop watching the series.  Either read a different Coben novel or find a film adaptation of some other Coben story.

Forget it!

2021, Abduction, Amazon Prime, Bloody scenes, Clever Plot, Controlling personality, Danish, Danish Detectives, Danish Police, Danish TV series, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Failed Father, Failing Marriage, Father-son relations, Gory, Mother-son relations, Profiler, Revenge, Sadism, Serial Killer, Suicide, Suspense, Torture, Unhappy Marriage, Violent, Wife leaves husband

Blinded: Those Who Kill (2021)

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From Amazon Prime:

Five years ago, a serial killer murdered three young men but was never found. Now, criminal profiler Louise Bergstein is asked by the terminally ill mother of a victim to help solve the case. Teaming up with the police, Louise discovers a distinct pattern to the killings-and the hunt only intensifies as the murderer strikes again in this Danish thriller. CONTAINS VIOLENCE AND GRAPHIC SCENES.

From Amazon Prime you can stream the 8 episodes of this well-done Danish serial-killer series.  Each episode lasts about 45 minutes. English subtitles.

From the very beginning you know who the killer is: Peter is a father with son Johannes . Peter’s marriage has failed and his wife has moved to Singapore.  Louise and Karina are two of the detectives working to solve the case. Louise is a profiler who, in an original plot twist , completely fails to recognize as killer the handsome man whom she meets quite by accident, after which the plot thickens a bit.

Poor Johannes is baffled by the strange behavior of his father. Johannes sorely misses his mother but is prevented by his father Peter from seeing her.

Because Peter kidnaps and tortures his victims,  the crime photographs can be quite gory.  But because the series is done so well, if you can get past the ugliness, DO NOT MISS!

2021, Action Film, Action Hero, Action sequences, Aliens from outer space, Amazon Prime, Bloody scenes, Corny at times, Digital Effects, Failed Father, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Improbable details, Mayhem, Nasty Aliens, Reconciliation, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Thriller, Time Travel, War

The Tomorrow War (2021)

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From Amazon Prime:

Time travelers arrive from 2051 to deliver an urgent message: 30 years in the future mankind is losing a war against a deadly alien species. The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians to be transported to the future and join the fight. Determined to save the world for his daughter, Dan Forester teams up with a brilliant scientist and his estranged father to rewrite the planet’s fate.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 2 hour 18 minute full feature film starring Chris Pratt as Dan Forester.

OK kids!  Your inner high schooler will love the expected combination of sci-fi, creative monsters, time travel,  violent action scenes, solutions that are just plain implausible and too easy, and tons of weepy conversations.

Chris Pratt (who was 42 at filming time)  plays Dan Forester who as devoted hero, frustrated high school science teacher, and former military is the obvious hero in the cast.

J.K. Simmons (who was 66 at filming time) plays Dan’s estranged father James.  His huge resumé includes playing Dr. Emil Skoda in the Law and Order TV series.

Newspaper reviewers have noted how Sam Richardson (who plays the scientist Charlie) has added acting to his career as a comedian.

As a recommendation I have stolen an IMDB subscriber’s review:

Giving an extra point being miles better than anything else in this genre for some time. The aliens were great, good story, spectacular graphics, excellent actors, top-notch production quality. As with all time travel related stories, it’s imperfect but definitely better than most. This one definitely shouldn’t be missed by scifi fans.

Besides:  I LOVE TRASH!

2018, Abduction, Action Film, Action sequences, America of the 2020s, Anonymous network, Binge worthy, Black Ops, Blackmail, Bloody scenes, Car Chase, Character Driven, Computer geeks, Computer hacking, Contract Killing, Crime, Cryptocurrency, DO NOT MISS, Drug Dealers, Dysfunctional Lives, Ethical struggles, Failed Father, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Financial malfeasance, Fist Fight, Frame someone for a crime, Friendship, Gangs, Germ Warfare, Haitian Gang, Love Story, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Panic Attacks, Personal Betrayal, Police Investigation, Psychopath, Redemption, Revenge, Russian Gang, Ruthless Killer, Sociopath, Suspense, Terrorist Attack, Torture, Violent

Startup (2018)

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From IMDB:

A desperate banker, a Haitian-American gang lord and a Cuban-American hacker are forced to work together to unwittingly create their version of the American dream – organized crime 2.0.

From Netflix you can stream 3 seasons of this series.  Each season consists of 10 episodes. Each episode lasts about 45 minutes.

If there is any current prototype of the 21st century technical world, this series is certainly in the running.  Topics include anonymous networks, cryptocurrency, NSA, security, CIA, black ops, offshore accounts, gang violence, crime ridden neighborhoods, criminal activity, Russian mobsters, rogue FBI agents, personal betrayal, and romance to name a few.

But above all for me the most important theme was redemption in the sense that people can change for the better.  First consider the character Ronald Dacey played by Edi Cathegi (born in Kenya).  Herein is a warning:  In the beginning of the series Ronald is the brutal leader of a Haitian gang in Los Angeles.  Don’t let the scenes of torture turn you away from the series.  Indeed the “redeeming” feature here is that Ronald in addition to being a brutal killer is also a loving husband and father.  As the story progresses, Ronald grows increasingly aware that the violence is self-defeating.  His basic and thinking humanity more and more shines through. He fights especially to keep his son on a straight path, not an easy task in their environment.  Ronald is never a saint, but his heart is more or less in the right place.

Next consider the rogue FBI agent Phil Rask played by the British actor Martin Freeman, who played Watson to Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes.  Freeman’s consistently idiosyncratic portrayal of Agent Rask is a pleasure to watch. More to the point of “redemption”, despite his many misdeeds he does have a conscience which begins to nag at him, which becomes fortunate for other characters later on in the plot.

Eventually you may become intimately concerned with the other players:  Adam Brody as Nick Talman, Otmara Marrero as Izzy Morales, Ron Perlman as Wes Chandler, and Addison Timlin as Mara Chandler.

And if you want some really nasty villains, there are two remarkable sociopaths Vera Cherny as the Russian mobstress (if there is such a word) and Mira Sorvino as the ruthless NSA-CIA black operator Rebecca Stroud.

DO NOT MISS!

2020, Action sequences, Attempted Murder, Beautiful Seaside Town, Binge worthy, Bloody scenes, Brother-Sister relations, Car Chase, Dancing, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Fantasy, Father-son relations, Feel Good Not For Children, Flashbacks, French, French Detectives, Happy ending, Holocaust Survivor, Identity Theft, Jazz, Jealousy, Love Story, Love Triangle, Magic Realism, MHz Choice, Murder, Murder Investigation, Music Theme, Must suspend disbelief, Paris in the 1960s, Physical fighting, Police Investigation, Revenge, Romance, Sex Scenes, Suicide, Suspense, Violent

Wonderland (2020)

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From MHz Choice:

In this romantic fantasy-thriller, a man from the present travels back to 1960s Biarritz and meets a mysterious woman whose destiny is inexplicably linked with his own.

From MHz Choice  you can stream the 6 episodes of this French romance. Each episode runs between 48 and 56 minutes. French with English subtitles.

Do not be dissuaded by the “fantasy-thriller” label in the summary above.  Most importantly this story is a wonderful romance story imaginatively  filled with atmosphere, music, mystery, intrigue, revenge, and love.

Jeremy, an unambitious medical student and jazz afficionado, working in the nightclub called “Wonderland”,  somehow transports back to 1960s Biarritz and lands in the original Wonderland club.  Tony is the owner of the 1960s club and the father of the owner of the future club. Both owners are played by the same actor.  Jeremy wanders aimlessly to the beach where he saves the life of Chris’ sister.  Jeremy is superb at instantly manufacturing lies. Indeed he needs to. After all, who would believe his story? Jeremy invents a back story as he is “adopted” by the very wealthy and young Chis.  Staying at Chris’ estate is Alice whom Chris hopes to marry. One of Chris’s motives for marrying a beautiful woman  is to spite his father André whom he despises.

Needless to say Jeremy falls in love with Alice who is, in fact, the woman in the photo that captured Jeremy’s attention in the future Wonderland.  But Alice is hiding as many secrets as is Jeremy.  As Jeremy “stalks” Alice the plot thickens.  At this point I provide no more details.

If there is any romantic in your soul then DO NOT MISS!

2020, Abduction, Action sequences, Art appreciation, Bloody scenes, Clever Plot, Corruption, Crime thriller, DO NOT MISS, Drugs, Dutch, Dutch detectives, Erotica, Fashion, Fist Fight, Flirting, Forensics, Government cover-up, Jealousy, Lesbian Theme, Murder Investigation, Nuns, PBS Masterpiece Streaming, Physical fighting, Police Culture, Religious Theme, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Torture, Unbelievably smart detective, Violent

Van der Valk (2020)

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From IMDB:

A Dutch detective takes on criminal cases in Amsterdam using insightful human observation and his natural street smarts.

From PBS Passport you can stream 3 episodes of this Dutch detective series. Each episode lasts about 1.5 hours.

Episode 1: Love in Amsterdam and episode 2: Only in Amsterdam are clever,  engaging, and develops the characters well.  Although the story line in episode 3: Death in Amsterdam is not so interesting, still the episode continues to develop the characters and has an exciting gun battle at the end. We also finally get to see what is preventing Van der Valk from forming a permanent relationship.

One thread that is compelling and annoying is Van der Valk’s stubborn refusal to acknowledge the talents of the newcomer Job Cloovers.  That theme has a satisfying conclusion in the third episode.

If you only watch the first two episodes, I still say

DO NOT MISS!

2021, Abuse of Women, Acceptable Trash, Action sequences, Bad Acting, Bloody scenes, Boating, Complicated, Confusing Plot, Corny, Corruption, Drama, Ethical struggles, Explicit sex, Extramarital Affair, False Imprisonment, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Fist Fight, Gay theme, Illegitimate Child, Love Story, Marital Infidelity, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Poor plot management, Prison, Rape, Revenge, Spanish, Suspense, Telenovela, Violent

Who Killed Sara (2021)

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From IMDB:

Hell-bent on exacting revenge and proving he was framed for his sister’s murder, Álex sets out to unearth much more than the crime’s real culprit.

From Netflix you can stream two seasons of this never-ending Spanish telenovela. Season one offers 10 episodes. Season two consists of 8 episodes.  Each episode last about 40 minutes. Spoken Spanish with English subtitles.

As is usually the case  “Spanish Telenovela” implies “acceptable trash.”  Be prepared for a complicated, ever shifting plot and characters that seem to pop out of nowhere.  You might want to make a list of characters as this pot boiler proceeds.  Try and guess the fathers of each of the illegitimate children.  Do not get upset if the time sequence is sometimes incorrect.  Nor does it matter if sometimes the chosen actor just doesn’t seem to match the role because that is how telenovelas are made.

For a good time just muddle your way through this cinematic mess that wants to be serious.

2015, Ambiguous Conclusion, Bloody scenes, Boxing, Brother-Sister relations, Cocaine, Complicated, Confusing Plot, Crime, Dysfunctional Lives, Extramarital Affair, False Imprisonment, Family Conflict, Forensics, Gay theme, Illegitimate Child, Imperfect, Italian, Italian detective, Love Triangle, Mathematician, Medical Theme, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Muslim Culture, PBS Masterpiece Streaming, Police Culture, Rape, Reconciliation, Romance, Short-lived suspenseful episodes

Thou Shalt Not Kill (2015)

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From IMDB:

Detective Valeria Ferro investigates crimes motivated by jealousy, vendettas and repressed anger to seek the truth and justice.

From PBS Passport you can stream two seasons of this Italian detective series.  Each season offers 12 episodes. Each episode lasts between 45 and 50 minutes.  Spoken Italian with English subtitles.

At the very start of the series Valeria’s mother Lucia is released from prison after 17 years. Lucia supposedly killed Valeria’s father.  Throughout the entire two seasons the continuing theme is what really happened 17 years ago.  For the most part Valeria is estranged from, angry at, and suspicious of her mother.  Valeria’s brother Giacomo takes the mother into his home.

Valeria is unmarried and is undecided about where to live, whom to love, and what the future holds.  Valeria’s lover is her current police boss Giorgio  whose orders she repeatedly countermands because of her stubborn nature.  Meanwhile her co-worker Andrea is in love with Valeria.

Every two episodes tell one complete crime story while the above mentioned themes continue.

Both Kathy and I found the plots confusing with too many characters. Additionally we did not find  the conclusion in episode 24 to be in any way satisfying.  It would seem that the producers intend further seasons.

Notice how at the end of each pair of episodes the guilty party simply confesses (often with indifference) with no attempt to cover up.  That is just plain too easy a conclusion.

Still,  the 24 episodes were not bad at all.