Category Archives: Conspiracy

2010, Abduction, Action sequences, British, British Mystery Series, Brother-Brother relations, Brother-Sister relations, Conspiracy, Corny at times, Corrupt Prison Guards, Drugs, Eccentric cast of characters, Eccentric Detective, Fist Fight, Mental Illness, Murder Investigation, Must suspend disbelief, Netflix Streaming, Outrageous Behavior, Psychiatrists, Psychopath, Revenge, Sadism, Suspense, Unbelievably smart detective, Unusual, Violent

Sherlock (2010)

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From Netflix you can stream 4 seasons of Sherlock Holmes stories. Seasons 1,2, and 4 have 3 episodes. Season 3 has 4 episodes. Each episode lasts 88 or 89 minutes.

Because there have been so many presentations involving the famous British detective, let’s be clear: In this series four of the many actors are:

Adjectives that describe this particularly imaginative adaptation are: eccentric, exaggerated, implausible, sometimes repellent.

Much of the time Sherlock indulges himself by  showing off his brilliant deductive genius.  At other times he is busy confusing his poor companion  Dr. Watson.  When he is bored he uses cocaine.

Toward the end of the seasons, especially in season 4, the plot devices are just plain over the top and unbelievable.  Also there is a lot of sadistic cruelty on the part of the last villainess, which repelled me.

If nothing else, these episodes are certainly not dull. Hang on tight!

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)

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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.

2011, Acceptable for teenagers, British Slapstick, Comedy, Conspiracy, Eccentric Detective, Lot's of Fun, MI5, Netflix Streaming

Johnny English Reborn (2011)

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From IMDB:

Johnny English goes up against international assassins hunting down Chinese Premier Xiang Ping.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 41 minute British slapstick film.

If you enjoy British slapstick or have ever seen a Johnny English film and have not yet seen the Reborn version then you are in for a treat. Granted that slapstick is not everyone’s cup of tea, but yours truly howled with laughter throughout the film.

In good slapstick timing is everything. In many instances you can see what is coming which sometimes adds to the humor (or should I say “humour”).  Cast of characters include:

  • Mister Bean or should I say Rowan Atkinson as Johnny.
  • Gillian Anderson (of X-Files fame) as Pamela.
  • Dominic West as the perfidious Simon Ambrose. Mr. West has an impressively long resumé.
  • Pik Sen Lim (Who?  In fact she played in “Doctor Who”) as the cleaning lady assassin or Killer Cleaner.  Her resumé is also immense. You probably have seen her in one of her many roles even though just as probably no one knows her name.
  • Queen Elizabeth.

Even though I may have seen it somewhere in the dim past (is 2011 really that long ago?),  the second viewing was just as much fun.

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)

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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.

2018, Abandoned child, Abduction, Abortion, Adultery, Algerian-French relations, Binge worthy, Blackmail, Bloody scenes, Brother-Sister relations, Career Competition, Conspiracy, Controlling personality, Corny at times, Corruption, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Frame someone for a crime, French, French Culture, French Detective Series, Illegitimate Child, Jealousy, Journalist, Lesbian Theme, Made For TV, Male Chauvinism, Marital Infidelity, MHz Choice, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Occasionaly violent, Orphanage, Paris in the 1960s, Police Corruption, Police Politics, Political Intrigue, Romance, Suspense, Torture, TV Culture, Unhappy Marriage, Womanizing, Women's Equality

Speakerine (2018)

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From MHz Choice:

In 1960s Paris, TV announcer Christine Beauval crashes the glass ceiling and brings criminals to justice in a drama that’s part ‘Mad Men,’ part Agatha Christie.

From MHz Choice you can stream the 6 episodes of this French TV dramatic series.  Each episode lasts roughly 50 minutes.

Looking for a binge-worthy TV series with all the right elements: corruption, male chauvinism, OAS terrorists associated with the Algerian drive for independence, powerful Frenchmen taking sexual advantage of women ?   Look no further because this French TV soap opera has it all. Consider the cast of characters:

  • Christine Beauval must prevail against French male chauvinism in her fight to be accepted as a woman TV personality.
  • Pierre Beauval, her husband and boss, is a TV careerist executive opposing her all the way, as in “the women belong in the home and kitchen.”
  • Colette Beauval, her daughter, is being taken advantage of by Eric Jauffret, another bureaucratic wannabe.
  • Jean-Claude Beauval, her son, who becomes involved with the OAS terrorist group who tried to assassinate General Charles de  Gaulle.
  • Isabelle Auclair, a young woman using her charms to induce men to help her replace Christine.
  • And many. many corrupt politicians and executives loosely connected through sometimes fatal sex parties. (Are you interested now?)

Among these French actors, the only one I recognized was Grégory Fitoussi who plays Eric Jauffret.   He played a lead in Spiral, another French TV series.  If you haven’t already seen Spiral, run do not walk to Netflix.  You can find my review  in this web site.

Granted that “Speakerine” is an unabashed soap opera which at the very end is a bit over the top, but

DO NOT MISS!

 

2017, Binge worthy, Brother-Sister relations, Conspiracy, Corny at times, Cynical, DO NOT MISS, Drugs, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Family Conflict, Financial malfeasance, Government cover-up, Government Prosecutions, Illegitimate Child, Jealousy, Lawyers, Love Story, Marital Infidelity, MHz Choice, Money Laundering, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Promiscuity, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Swiss banking, Tax Evasion, Transvestite theme, Unscrupulous drive to power

Banking District (2017)

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From IMDB:

A private banker goes into a coma. His sister becomes the director and finds out his coma might not be accidental as she finds obscure transactions her brother was involved in.

From MHz Choice you can stream the 6 episodes of season 1 of this French-speaking Swiss intrigue film with English subtitles.  Each episode lasts about 50 minutes.  IMDB seems to indicate that there is or will be a season 2 which, in my opinion, would be a shame.

REVISION for Season 2 which also consists of 6 episodes, each lasting about 50 minutes.

My above opinion about season 2 being a shame, is WRONG. Season two was just as good as season 1.  At least we know from the beginning of season 2 who the bad guys are. But now Elizabeth has the difficult task of removing the bad buys and cleaning up the bank ethics. However, the line between good and evil becomes increasingly blurred as the plot develops. Elizabeth has her troubles in spades. Expect cynical plot turns. And once again DO NOT MISS!

ORIGINAL review for season 1.

From the very beginning up to the very end there is a palpable atmosphere of intrigue, suspense, and danger (for the good guys at least).

Elizabeth Grangier is the black sheep of the Swiss Grangier banking family. In fact she is the black sheep because of her disdain for the crooked dealings of the Swiss bank.  More to the point, the whole series is an indictment of the shady Swiss banking system. We quickly learn that her beloved brother Paul, who lies in a coma for the entire season, was quite corrupt.  Besides Elizabeth, the only other honest adult seems to be her newspaper journalist former husband.   Impetus for most of the action comes from the United States hunt for American tax evaders.  Add murders to the mix.

Some details are left hanging.  Elizabeth cries a lot. We never meet the owner of the female phone voice that orders killings.  But the story grabbed me.  At last I have gotten used to and in fact admire the plotting technique in which the conclusion leaves many details hanging. Just use your imagination.

Despite some negative criticisms,  I rate this series a DO NOT MISS!

 

 

2018, Abduction, Addiction, Ambiguous Conclusion, Bicycles, Bloody scenes, Conspiracy, Corruption, Crime thriller, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Dog episode, Drugs, Ethical struggles, Family Conflict, Flashbacks, Forensics, Greed, Hunting, Kidnapping, Made For TV, MHz Choice, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Personal Betrayal, Police Corruption, Police cover-up, Suspense, Swedish, Swedish Detective, Thriller, Uncle-Nephew relations, Violent, Wrongful Arrest

The Hunters (2018)

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From IMDB:

Erik returns to the northernmost of Sweden after a lifetime with Stockholm police [seeThe Hunters (1996) and False Trail (2011)]. Retirement doesn’t become him so he helps his nephew Peter, a rookie at the local police.

From MHz Choice:

Rolf Lassgard stars as a retired Stockholm cop drawn into a mystery in Sweden’s far north.

From MHz Choice you can stream the 6 episodes of this Swedish detective thriller. Each episode lasts about 45 minutes.  Swedish sound track with English subtitles.

Evidently (from IMDB) “The Hunters” was a Swedish TV series that began in 1996.  Rolf Lassgard has played the same Stockholm cop in other installments.  His role as Erik Bäckström is played superbly.

THRILLER is an understatement. You have the privilege of being able to stream all the episodes as fast as you wish, where I had to wait not so patiently for each Tuesday’s new episode to be available.

But then I am always a sucker for plots in which the villain (or in this case villains) is so smoothly corrupt and knows how to seduce others into his corruption while framing others for the crimes. By the time I watched the last episode I was literally shaking with anticipation. Up to the very last moment the bad guys seemed to be winning.

DO NOT MISS!

 

2016, Acceptable Trash, Action Hero, Chick Flick, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Corny, Detective, DNA, Extramarital Affair, Father-daughter relations, Flashbacks, Forensics, Frame someone for a crime, Human experimentation, Invincible Hero, Kidnapping, Netflix Streaming, Romance, Sex Scenes, Short-lived suspenseful episodes, Sister-sister relations, Soap Opera, Various Romances, Violent

Beauty and the Beast (2016)

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From IMDB

A beautiful detective falls in love with an ex-soldier who goes into hiding from the secret government organization that turned him into a mechanically charged beast.

From Netflix you can stream 4 seasons of this romantic, sci-fi piece of fluff.  But before you start, at least realize that there are 70 episodes, each episode more corny than the previous episode. Seasons 1 and 2 consist of 22 episodes each. Seasons 3 and 4 consist of 13 episodes each.

And no, I have not seen all 70 episodes. Surely, I thought, if I waded through 22 episodes the story would end. Alas, episode 22 at the very end makes it quite clear that this is the series that never ends.

With each episode there is enough repetitious romantic palaver to fill a shelf in the congressional library.  However, this series also counts as genuine escape from every day reality.  For the sake of history, future readers (if any still exist) should realize that we are now in April 2020 confronting the coronavirus and are forced to stay indoors.  Maybe 70 episodes are not so  bad after all.

As with many B+ so-called “thrillers” the stress level is kept to a minimum. No sooner have our hero and heroine been confronted with a threat, then in a mere 15 microseconds the problem is solved, usually by having our all-powerful hero turn into the “monster” and saving his damsel in distress.

At least give credit to the inventiveness:  many episodes introduce some new character with his or her own secret agenda. These days you never know what normal looking person is really a monster in disguise.

Be patient because after quite a few episodes our love duet lovers finally have sex without him turning into a monster.

And still I persist in following the nonsense. Possibly better than sitting around fretting. Am I harsh in calling this series “acceptable trash?”

2020, Acceptable for teenagers, Action sequences, Child abuse, Child Molestation, Complicated, Conspiracy, Corruption, DNA, Family Conflict, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Norwegian, Norwegian Crime Story, Norwegian Detective, Orphanage, Pedophilia, Physical child abuse, Police Corruption, Police cover-up, Police Culture, Police Investigation, Police Psychologist, Psychological Drama, Rape, Suspense, TV Reporter, Violent

The Valhalla Murders (2020)

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From IMDB:

Police profiler Arnar is sent back home from Oslo to his native Iceland to investigate the country’s first serial killer case. He teams up with the local senior cop Kata.

From Netflix you can stream the 8 episodes of this Norwegian detective series. Each episode lasts about 45 minutes.

Orphanages in which the boys are sexually molested is a theme that has been used several times in other dramas.  In that sense there is a sameness to this series that seems a bit copycat. It takes 8 episodes to find the predator, deal with police bureaucracy,  and fight a conspiracy to cover up the murders and rapes.  Expect at times to suspend disbelief:  injured cops heroically save lives,  TV commentators miraculously save the day, etc.  Sometimes I am happy that a too convenient solution relieves the tension.

Along the way the divorced Kata has trouble with her son while the unusually taciturn Arnar must fight his own personal demons.

Despite any flaws, the clever obstacles created by the bad guys, the personal stories, and the action sequences kept me glued.

1998, Abandoned child, Abortion, Acceptable for teenagers, Adultery, Amazon Prime, Cold Cases, Conspiracy, Corruption, Courtroom scenes, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, False Imprisonment, Flashbacks, Frame someone for a crime, Harmful Medicine, Lawyers, Marital Infidelity, Medical Theme, Murder Trial, Mystery Film, Old-Fashioned, Quiet, Romance, Small Town, Small Town Atmosphere, Unjust crime conviction, Vintage Film

Evidence of Blood (1998)

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From Amazon Prime:

An award winning author of stories of real crimes returns to his hometown where he becomes involved in a 40 year old case of a murdered teenager.
From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 49 minute complete film.
In 22 years film making has changed a great deal.  You know you are watching older film techniques when the tool available to distinguish between the film’s present and past is a change in the hue of the picture.  Another clue is that David Strathairn (who plays the author Jackson Kinley) was a young 49 years of age (and is now 78 years old).  Mary McDonnell  (who plays Dora Overton)  played Ruby Goldfarb  in Fargo.
Because his friend Ray dies, Kinley goes back to his home town, driven by a capital punishment case that never felt correct.  Little by little his dogged persistence finally discovers the truth. Along the way he brushes up against an elaborate town wide cover-up and riles up alot of the townsfolk.  Also he falls in love with Dora.
Note that Jackson does his work “by hand” so to speak. He doesn’t have modern tools such as DNA forensics. Dora doesn’t even have a telephone.  All stored data is on paper.  Was 1998 really that long ago?
Watching a vintage film in which Jackson slowly assembles the puzzle pieces  is not a waste of time.   And there is no violence.