Category Archives: Crime

2012, Acceptable for teenagers, Adultery, Amusing banter, Bad Acting, Based on a Book, Bicycles, Bloody scenes, Comic Moments, Cooking, Corny at times, Crime, Detective, Eccentric Detective, Extramarital Affair, Flirting, Italian, Italian detective, Journalist, Made For TV, MHz Choice, Murder, Murder by poison, Murder Investigation, Revenge, TV Series

Nero Wolfe (2012)

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From IMDB:

Interesting modern actualization made by italian broadcasting service (RAI) of immortal, well-known characters created by the genial american novelist Rex Stout. It’s second time RAI produce a Nero Wolfe’s Mystery series: first one – with famous, talented stage actor Tino Buazzelli as Wolfe and Paolo Ferrari (known as Humphrey Bogart movie’s dubber) as Archie Goodwin – was aired between 1969 and 1971.

MHz Choice streams just one season of 8 episodes. Each episode lasts a bit more than 1.5 hours. Italian with English subtitles.

Although sometimes corny, sometimes amateurish acting, at least you can relax watching these friendly murder mysteries. Just about all the women are beautiful. Every home is more or less a palace.

Nero Wolfe is a somewhat overweight gourmand (i.e. he is fussy about food and eats ALOT).  In fact, there is just as much emphasis on food and Wolfe’s orchids as there is on the rest of the plot. He has a full time professional cook with whom he spars a lot. He is often condescending or even insulting to his dashing sidekick Archie Goodwin, who flirts (at the very least)  with many of the female characters.

Thus we do not take these stories seriously or expect too much. But at least they do not feature any grim gore.

2012, Abduction, Abortion, Abuse of Women, Adopted child, Adultery, Arson, Asperger's Syndrome, Bloody scenes, Child abduction and murder, Child abuse, Child Molestation, Complicated, Crime, Dark, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Dysfunctional Lives, Emotional child abuse, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Forensics, MHz Choice, Mildly Violent, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Murder by poison, Murder Investigation, Pedophilia, Police Culture, Police Politics, Psychopath, Revenge, Serial Killer, Spousal Abuse, Suicide, Suspense, Swedish, Swedish crime series, Swedish Detective

Camilla Läckberg (2012)

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From MHz Choice:

Camilla Läckberg’s beloved characters return in a TV series based on three of her bestselling mystery novels. Set in Fjällbacka on the west coast of Sweden, Detective Patrik Hedström and his fiancée, the novelist Erica Falck, become enmeshed in complex crimes affecting all the residents of the tiny coastal community.

Jean Edith Camilla Läckberg  is a Swedish crime writer. As of the early-2010’s, her work has been translated into at least 40 languages in 60 countries.

Our last review was for “The Hidden Child” which was a stand-alone presentation streamed from MHz Choice of one of Camilla Läckberg’s stories.

This review of a series streamed from MHz Choice contains 3 more stories from Camilla Läckberg:

“The Preacher”: presented in one 1.5 hour episode.

“The Stonecutter”: presented in two 1 hour episodes.

“The Stranger”: presented in two 1 hour episodes.

Amazon sells all 8 books of the author’s “Fjällbacka ” series.

As with “The Hidden Child” the stories are grim, and the inter-personal relationships important. Another DO NOT MISS!

 

 

 

2012, Bad Acting, Bloody scenes, Car Chase, Corny at times, Crime, Detective, Divorce, DNA, Father-son relations, Forensics, Gay theme, Homophobia, Imperfect, Italian, Italian culture, Italian detective, Made For TV, Mathematician, Mediocre, Melodrama, MHz Choice, Mother-son relations, Murder Investigation, Police Politics, TV Series, Various Romances

Inspector Vivaldi (2012)

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From MHz Choice:

MYSTERY | ITALY | ITALIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES |
Inspector Federico Vivaldi is an old-school cop in a new world: his son is gay, his wife has left him and he’s got an ambitious colleague nipping at his heels to take over his position. He may be old-fashioned but he’s resilient enough to find his way in the new reality. His son, Stefano, is also a cop, and father and son make a good team solving crimes together in the northeastern Italian city of Trieste.

From MHz Choice you can stream Season 1 consisting of 8 episodes, each about 1.5 hours. All 8 episodes are dedicated to one continuing mystery with lots of side distractions.

If you want to hear understandable Italian, this detective soap opera is for you. Sometimes the acting is terrible. Sometimes the presentation is corny (can you hear those violins?) Finally I decided I could not stand Inspector Vivaldi as a person. But his son and his beautiful former wife are appealing.

Somewhat mediocre but it is ITALIAN!!! (Who is prejudiced?)

1999, Acceptable for teenagers, Based on a Book, Boating, Catholic culture, Comic Moments, Complicated, Computer geeks, Conspiracy, Corny at times, Crime, Detective, Dog Story, Extramarital Affair, International thriler, Italian, Italian culture, Italian detective, MHz Choice, Murder Investigation, Nudity, Police Culture, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Small Town, Sometimes seems silly, Spousal Abuse, TV Series

Detective Montalbano (1999)

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From MHz Choice:

Murder, betrayal, office politics, temptation… it’s all in a day’s work for Detective Salvo Montalbano. Filmed in the ancient, sun-washed Sicilian city of Ragusa Ibla, the series is based on the international best-selling mystery novels by Andrea Camilleri and stars Luca Zingaretti.

Until June 27, 2017 MHz Choice offers only Season 1 which includes “only!” 35 Episodes.

As far as drama goes, these episodes are fun but not masterpieces. For me the attractions are the Italian language, the somewhat goofy Italian personal interactions, the tantalizing scenery, and the stories. It would not surprise me that you might find the acting sometimes corny.  You may have to be a real Italophile.

In the past I have read several of these mystery novels by Andrea Camilleri whose Italian vocabulary often uses words from the Sicilan dialect, but the actors speak so quickly that I am not sure if they ever use any Sicilian words.

Plots tend to be complicated. Each episode is about one hour and 45 minutes. Running through the series is Montalbano’s romance with Livia. There is nothing grim or even violent in the stories.

Just plain fun if you enjoy friendly, wacky Italians.

 

 

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.

2012, Abuse of Women, Anti-Semitism, Bloody scenes, British, Child abuse, Contract Killing, Could Be Hard To Watch, Crime, Crude Talk, Detective, Disturbing Image, DO NOT MISS, Drag Queen, Drama, Explicit sexual discussion, Gambling, Gangs, Greed, Grim, Grisly, London History, Mayhem, Mild Torture, Murder, Murder Investigation, Murder Trial, Newpaper work, Nudity, Orphans in Foster Care, Outrageous Behavior, Physical child abuse, Police Politics, Prison, Prostitutes, Revenge, Sadism, Suspense, Theft, Torture, Violent, Vulgar

Ripper Street (2012)

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From IMDB:

The streets of Whitechapel are the haunt of Detective Inspector Edmund Reid and his team of officers, who aim to maintain law and order in a place once terrorized by Jack the Ripper.

A new drama set in the East End of London in 1889 during the aftermath of Jack The Ripper murders. The infamous H Division – the police precinct charged with keeping order in the district of Whitechapel- is in a chaotic state trying to keep order after a tumultuous time for London and reported infamously worldwide.

From Netflix you can stream 4 seasons consisting of 37 episodes  as follow:

  • Season 1 – 8 episodes
  • Season 2 – 8 episodes
  • Season 3 – 8 episodes
  • Season 4 – 7 episodes
  • Season 5 – 6 episodes       As of April 21,2017 not yet released

WARNING: Season 4 ends with a real cliff-hanger that needs Season 5 to resolve the issues. But at this point you cannot stream Season 5.

Matthew MacFadyen superbly plays Detective Inspector Edmund Reid.  Jerome Flynn (who was Bronn in “Game of Thrones”) plays Det. Sgt. Bennet Drake. Adam Rothenberg (who played Danny in “The Divide”) plays Dr. Homer Jackson.

Strong stomachs and tolerance for blatant vulgarity are required for watching this series. Otherwise these intense episodes are captivating. Trying to be authentic for 1889, the speech is formal, possibly pedantic, even when describing sexual activity.  Here we have an escape from the usual formulaic police procedurals. Do not be misled by the very first episode which deals with a murder that tries to mimic the work of Jack the Ripper because subject matter for the episodes is incredibly varied (thievery, pestilence, and other delights).

London in that period was a horrible, dirty, smelly, hellhole in which the place of women was especially dire. In the eighteenth century, one in every five women were sex workers. If a woman was not wealthy or married, she very often ended up in the streets.  In this series the plight of women is often the motivating theme.

Workers had no rights, no workplace safety precautions.  Future readers of this review should be reminded that under our current President Trump, the Republican party places itself in opposition to such protective organizations as the EPA.  One episode features (and shocks with a view of a match girl [woman who worked in a match factory] inflicted with) phossy jaw. You may never forget the sight.

One episode features as a character the famous Elephant Man whose real name was Joseph Merrick.  Merrick the actor is made to look exactly like the photograph in the mentioned Wikipedia article. You may never forget the sight.

One episode centers about the laws against sodomy which enabled blackmailers and often destroyed lives.

One episode makes vividly alarming the horrors created by the law making abortion illegal. Note that even now in the USA the Republicans would return to that terrible past.

London was an ugly, ugly place. Brace yourself!

After viewing more and more episodes I have upgraded to DO NOT MISS!

 

2015, Alcoholism, Amusing banter, Arson, Bloody scenes, Bullying, Comic Moments, Crime, Cult Brainwashing, Depression, Detective, DNA, Eccentric Detective, Financial malfeasance, Firemen Culture, Gay theme, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Personality or religious cult, Philosophic Discussions, Religious Theme, Revenge, Serial Killer, Sex With Minors, TV Series, Unbelievably smart detective

Backstrom (2015)

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From IMDB:

The Portland Police Bureau’s Elite Special Crimes Unit is led by Det. Lt. Everett Backstrom, an alcoholic and smoker who is in failing health, but takes on cases in special circumstances.

From Netflix you can stream 13 episodes of season one.

Rainn Wilson (who played Dwight Schrute in “The Office”) plays Everett Backstrom as a cynical, alcoholic, smoking, bad food (if at all) eater, who must report regularly to a doctor whose reports either keep Backstrom employed or gets him dropped from police work. Repeatedly in the series he thinks out loud beginning with “I’m X (fill in a suspect) and I operate as follows (fill in case facts) …” He is a disappointed heterosexual who shares a dump of an apartment with a gay roommate who won’t accept Backstrom’s nonsense and often tries to help him. Everett Backstrom always looks like the wrath of God.

Backstrom has the help of Nicole Gravely (played by Genevieve Angelson) whose job is really to make Backstrom’s clever case solutions look as if he operated legally.

You may remember Dennis Haysbert as President David Palmer in the TV series “24”. Here he plays a manager in the police unit.

Because the plots and solutions and methods are original, this is as good a detective TV series as most.

 

 

 

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.

2014, Abduction, Action Film, Bloody scenes, Brazilian, Creepy, Crime, Dark, French, German, Gritty, Italian, Mayhem, Motorcycles, Netflix Streaming, Personal Betrayal, Psychiatrists, Revenge, Spanish, Suspense, Traditional Chinese, Unusual, Violent

Stereo (2014)

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From Netflix:

Erik’s peaceful rural family life is shaken by the arrival of sinister figures who claim to know him and a mysterious “friend” who may not even exist.

From Netflix you can stream this 1 hour 30 minute film from Germany.

Many films streamable from Netflix now offer an amazing array of language choices. Take this film as a example. For audio you can choose from Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Italian and Spanish. For subtitles you can choose None, English, French, German, Spanish and Traditional Chinese.

Why the film is called “Stereo” is something I do not understand. In any case this is a somewhat strange film. Erik wants a peaceful life with a single mother Julia and her daughter Linda. Julia’s father is a policeman and suspicious of Erik’s unexplained past. That past catches up with Erik in the form of a group of men looking to kill Erik out of revenge. Meanwhile Erik, and only Erik, constantly sees , hears, and can talk to a hooded man who eventually we learn is his dead brother Henry.  Erik tries several methods to get rid of Henry, all to no avail. In a violent climax, we learn about Erik’s  past.

Erik is played by Jurgen Vogel who was the teacher in the German film “The Wave“. Henry is played by Moritz Bleibtreu who played Gustav Klimt In “Woman in Gold”.

As far as classifying this film, call it a violent action film. For me the main attraction was solely the opportunity to hear and read simple, basic German. For you that is not a rave review by any means.

 

 

2016, Abduction, Abortion, Addiction, Amnesia, Arson, Belgian Detectives, Bloody scenes, Boxing, Complicated, Computer geeks, Contract Killing, Corruption, Crime, Dark, Drama, Drugs, Explicit sex, Extramarital Affair, Father-daughter relations, Forensics, French, Grisly, Lesbian Theme, Love Story, Mental Illness, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder Investigation, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Psychiatrists, Psychological Drama, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Small Town Atmosphere, Soap Opera, Soccer, Sociopath, Suspense, Teenagers, Violent, Vulgar

The Break (2016)

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From Netflix:

Soon after arriving in Heiderfeld, Inspector Yoann Peeters is called to the scene of a suspected suicide and begins uncovering troubling details.

From Netflix you can stream the 10 episodes of this compelling detective story in French with subtitles. According to Wikepedia The Break (French: La Trêve, “The Truce”) is a French-language Belgian crime drama television series

Actually this series is a soap opera with many characters,  quite a bit of sex and violence, and many surprises. In fact I would estimate that each episode has at least 3 or so unexpected  plot revelations. Not until the very, very end will you discover “who done it”. If you truly guess the answer before episode 10, then let me know.

Inspector Peeters has left Brussels with his daughter after the death of his wife and has returned to his hometown Heiderfeld in the hopes of a fresh start. He goes to work for the local police force populated by 6 or so characters whose own stories and involvements with one another are an integral part of the plot. Peeters’  daughter makes a friend and in order to fit in socially makes mistakes. There are teen friends, a soccer team and its managers, a woman mayor scheming to buy the area’s farms to make way for a dam, and subplots galore. Most of all, running through the entire story is the fact that Peeters is eventually confined to a mental hospital and is in every episode being interviewed by a woman psychiatrist of the institution, who must evaluate Peeters’ mental health. Flashbacks are a principal tool in the story telling.

Oddly enough Yoann Peeters is played by a Belgian actor Yoann Blanc whose performance (as well as his somewhat strange face with his deep set brooding, unemotional eyes that seem to stare all the time) is remarkable.

Getting to the story’s conclusion was so compelling for me that once again I binged, which is definitely not a good habit. But once you start this thriller my guess is that you too will fall under its spell.