Category Archives: Marital Infidelity

Banking District (2017)

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!

 

 

Reckoning (2019)

From IMDB:

Explores the darkest corners of the male psyche through the eyes of two fathers, one of whom is a serial-killer.

From Netflix you can stream the 10 episodes of this serial-killer soap opera. Each episode lasts about 45 minutes.

Far from being a predictable serial-killer police procedural, this series is a study in psychology that involves a large cast of well presented characters.

From almost the earliest episodes, your hunch as to which character is the RRK serial killer will be vindicated.  But having the police catch the killer is not the only important focus.  Additionally we watch the interaction of that killer with all the others involved.

Sean Barker, the Australian actor that plays Edgar Harris, steals the show.   Aden Young, the Canadian actor that plays detective Mike Serrato,  plays as tortured a personality as does Sean Barker.

There is a conclusion, but it will not be what you might expect. Be prepared possibly for a final moment in which you ask “Is that really the end of the story?”

BINGE WORTHY!

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

From IMDB:

Steven, a charismatic surgeon, is forced to make an unthinkable sacrifice after his life starts to fall apart, when the behavior of a teenage boy he has taken under his wing turns sinister.

From Netflix you can stream this two hour complete film.

When I saw that the surgeon Steven Murphy was played by Colin Farrell and his wife Anna Murphy was played by Nicole Kidman, I was eager to see the film. Yikes!

“Weird” is the closest one word that seems to apply here. Other words might be “strange”, “creepy”, “outrageous” or “unnerving.”  Hopefully not everyone will even want to start watching after reading this review.  However, I was both hooked and horrified from the very beginning.

In Wikipedia you can find a discussion of the film but I have inserted below a summary from IMDB:

After the untimely death of 16-year-old Martin’s father on the operating table, little by little, a deep and empathetic bond begins to form between him and the respected cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr Steven Murphy. At first, expensive gifts and then an invitation for dinner will soon earn the orphaned teenager the approval of Dr Steven’s perfect family, even though right from the start, a vague, yet unnerving feeling overshadows Martin’s honest intent. And then, unexpectedly, the idyllic family is smitten by a fierce and pitiless punishment, while at the same time, everything will start falling apart as the innocents have to suffer. In the end, as the sins of one burden the entire family, only an unimaginable and unendurable decision that demands a pure sacrifice can purge the soul. But to find catharsis, one must first admit the sin.

In the film there are at times oddly explicit sexual discussions and situations.  Martin is played by Barry Keoghan whose physical appearance presents anything but a Hollywood type. Speech throughout the film is so stilted that it seemed I was watching a stage play.  Spoken lines, especially from Martin, seem at times inappropriate.

From the very stylistically rigid beginning and onward there was a sense of anxious foreboding that tempted me to stop watching this tragedy.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

The Schouwendam 12 (2019)

From Acorn TV:

Decades ago, teenagers Olaf and Alice disappeared from the Dutch village of Schouwendam without a trace. Then an unknown man suddenly turns up in town with no memories but a clear resemblance to Olaf. The residents are forced to confront the mysteries of the past, but who is lying and who is telling the truth? As new fatalities occur, the community is riven with fear in this Dutch-language drama.

From Acorn TV you can stream this 10 episode one season Dutch mystery drama. Each episode lasts about 45 minutes. English subtitles. Now and then the characters speak English.

As this mystery proceeds, one by one residents of this small town are being murdered. Meanwhile the newly appeared “Olaf” who is suffering from amnesia keeps trying to discover if he really is Olaf.

As a subplot the young policeman Pim must contend with his wife and newborn infant because his wife is suffering from serious postpartum depression.  This becomes relevant to the mystery solution.

To help Pim a new superior  woman detective Karlijn van Andel  arrives on the scene.  Her personal story also becomes relevant to the plot.

Be prepared for a very surprising final episode.

Well worth your time.

The Pale Horse (2020)

From IMDB:

Is a trio of witches responsible for a series of sudden deaths or is there a rational explanation?

From Amazon Prime you can stream both hour-long episodes of this mystery story supposedly based on a story by Agatha Christie.

But don’t bother with this adaptation. Thank to a warning found in IMDB:

Sarah Phelps “version” is a complete mess. The production has an excellent cast including Rufus Sewell, who is magnificent as usual. The set design and costumes are top notch and even the cinematography and music are good, but…

Sarah Phelp’s story, script and directing are terrible. She makes an utter train wreck out of the original story and what’s left makes no sense at all. I can only hope that Sarah Phelps writes and creates her own scripts for future projects as she has no talent adapting existing stories.

Much of what the reviewer says rings true. Oddly enough I enjoyed watching what is essentially a good production. Indeed Rufus Sewell is very good.  But the ending left me confused.

If you are interested, read the Wikipedia account of the novel where you will see that there is very little in common with the two versions.

Skip this unfortunately watchable mess.

Evidence of Blood (1998)

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.

What To Do When Someone Dies (2012)

From Acorn TV:

In this “very superior psychological drama” (Daily Express, UK), happily married teacher Ellie (Anna Friel, Pushing Daisies, Marcella) is devastated when her husband (Marc Warren, The Good Wife) dies in a car crash–with another woman in his car. The police dismiss it as an extramarital affair, but Ellie feels certain that something is not right and determines to learn the truth about the accident.

From Acorn TV you can stream this 3 episode British TV series. Each episode lasts about 46 minutes.

One death leads to more deaths, all of which are really accidents or suicide or may have been made to appear as such.  For most of the 3 episodes only the grieving wife Ellie is convinced of foul play. Her supportive friends don’t give up on her, even as she stubbornly investigates.  At times even I was convinced she was delusional.  After watching the last episode, Kathy and I agreed it was a really good presentation.

Well worth your time.

The Bay (2019)

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.

 

The Stranger (2020)

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!

Outlander (2014)

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