2009, Detective, French, PBS Masterpiece Streaming

Paris Murders (2009)

From IMDB:

Chloé Saint-Laurent is a profiler and works with a police team to solve murders in Paris. She’s very sweet, she wears very colored clothes and a huge yellow bag. She looks like a little girl who needs a doll, but she’s very smart and a very good profiler. Step by step, she fits in the team and her colleagues, very reserved at first, become her best friends.

From PBS Passport you can stream 5 seasons of this French crime thriller.  Seasons 1 and 2 offer 12 episodes. Seasons 3, 4, and 5 offer 10 episodes. Each episode lasts between 50 minutes and 1 hour.

“Profilage” , as it is called in IMDB, is the French name for the series. Stories are well-done though sometime gruesome. Chloé, played by Odile Vuillemin is the main attraction but she lasts for only 3 seasons. After that Adele is the detective. Philippe Bas, who plays the male sidekick Rocher, is the one constant in all the seasons.

Well worth watching, which is why PBS has it in their catalog.

2023, Netflix Streaming, Sadism, Serial Killer, Violent

Luther: The Fallen Sun (2023)

From Netflix:

Haunted by an unsolved murder, brilliant but disgraced London police detective John Luther breaks out of prison to hunt down a
sadistic serial killer.

From Netflix  you can stream this 2 hour 10 minute complete film.

Idris Elba has made several Luther films, all of which are watchable, tense crime films. This particular story is disturbingly violent with some ugly scenes. At the end Luther and the serial killer battle to the end in a mansion in the snowy wilderness. Amidst the snow there are clear patches of ice underneath which we see the dead bodies of the killer’s victims.  You are warned.

2014, Abuse of Women, Action sequences, Based on a Book, Bloody scenes, Boating, British Drama, Coarse manners, Controlling personality, Corrupt Clergy, Cruelty, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Ethical struggles, False Imprisonment, Fight Scenes, Friendship, Gangs, Grungy, Horses, Love Story, Murder, Orphan, PBS Masterpiece Streaming, Personal Betrayal, Physical fighting, Smuggling, Suspense, Trust Nobody, Violent

Jamaica Inn (2014)

From PBS Passport:

Based on the novel by the English writer Daphne Du Maurier, Jamaica Inn is a gripping mystery that tells the story of Mary Yellan, a woman who is forced in the 1820s to move into the ominous Jamaica Inn in Cornwall with her aunt and uncle. Mary must uncover the secrets of a local group of smugglers while also managing her growing attraction to the mysterious Jem Merlyn.

From PBS Passport you can stream the 3 hour-long episodes of this TV series that was recently (February 2023) aired on the PBS TV station.

Be prepared for a really grubby old Jamaica Inn notorious for a rough crowd of smugglers.  Josh Merlyn (played by Sean Harris) is a brutally violent and disturbed proprietor.   Mary Yellan (played by Jessica Brown) is a determinedly upright young woman who, at least initially, is overwhelmed by the evil surrounding her.  Mary finds solace from the Reverend Francis Davey (played by Ben Daniels who played Lord Snowdon in “The Crown”). Mary falls in love with Joss’ brother Jem (played by Matthew McNulty who played Steve Campbell in “Deadwater Fell”).

Framed as both a love story and a mystery adventure, where the mystery is “who is really running the smuggling”, these three hours provide  tense and suspenseful viewing.

DO NOT MISS!

2002, Acceptable for teenagers, Action sequences, Ageing Couple, America of the 1930s, Bank Robbery, Based on a Book, Bloody scenes, Career Criminal, Catholic Church Corruption, Catholic culture, Contract Killing, Could Be Hard To Watch, Crime Family, DO NOT MISS, Dog episode, Drama, Ethical struggles, Father-son relations, Fatherless child, Gangs, Grim, Invincible villain, Irish Mob, Kanopy streaming, Mother-son relations, Murder, Netflix Streaming, Personal Betrayal, Psychopath, Redemption, Revenge, Ruthless Killer, Suspense, Uncategorized, Wonderful acting

Road to Perdition (2022)

From IMDB:

A mob enforcer’s son in 1930s Illinois witnesses a murder, forcing him and his father to take to the road, and his father down a path of redemption and revenge.

From Netflix (and Kanopy) you can stream this 1 hour 57 minute Irish mob classic film which  earned five Academy Awards  nominations, including Best Supporting Actor for Paul Newman. Originally the story was a graphic novel.

Tom Hanks bemoans the seeming obscurity of the film. He is quoted as saying  “For one reason or another, no one references Road to Perdition, and that was an incredibly important movie for me to go through.”  In fact, it was just his comment that motivated me to watch the film.

Consider the outstanding actors involved:

  • Tom Hanks plays the enforcer and father Michael Sullivan. At the time of filming he was 46.
  • Tyler Hoechlin plays the endangered son Michael Sullivan Jr. At the time of filming he was 15.  Later he played superheroes.
  • Jennifer Jason Leigh plays the mother Annie Sullivan.
  • Paul Newman plays the mob family head John Rooney. This was his  final live-action theatrical film acting role at which time he was 77. Newman died in 2008,
  • Daniel Craig plays the out-of-control son Connor Rooney. At the time of filming he was 34. Craig began filming at age 24.
  • Ciarán Hinds plays the witnessed murdered man Finn McGovern.
  • Stanley Tucci plays the Chicago mobster Frank Nitti.
  • Jude Law plays the psychopath Maguire who photographs his victims’ corpses. At time of filming he was 30. He began filming as a child actor of age 16.
  • Anthony LaPaglia was cast as Al Capone and filmed a single scene, which was omitted from the final cut  and can be found in the DVD’s deleted scenes.

Of course, it is a violent gangster film, but a tasteful one (if that is possible).  At the center of the film is the son Michael who is an essentially good kid that worships his father and whose salvation is at stake.

DO NOT MISS!

2022, Amazon Prime Brit Box, Art Gallery, Conspiracy, Deceit, Disturbing Ending, Frame someone for a crime, Lawyers, Monstrous Father, Murder, Obessive reporter, Revenge

Deadline (2022)

From Amazon Prime:

When Natalie Varga stands accused of murdering her husband in cold blood, disgraced investigative journalist James Alden finds himself captivated by the case. The mystery of whether she committed the
crime broadens into a darker, stranger narrative as our London setting shifts to Hungarian high society.

From Amazon Prime Brit Box you can stream the 4 episodes of this “what is really going on?” soap-opera. Each episode lasts about 43 minutes.

James Alden is obsessively driven to the final startling conclusion. At that point ask yourself “should the plot end this way?”

Expect no happiness. Some reviewers hated the film. At the end I just sat in shock.

2015, Amazon Prime, Bromance, Comic Moments, French, Gay theme, German, Homophobia, Parents accepting gay child

Where are you going, Habibi ? (2015)

From Amazon Prime:

Ibrahim falls in love with Alexander, a handsome German show-wrestler that turns out to be a criminal. An impossible friendship develops that surpasses both of them. Passion and crime in a charming buddy-movie and bromance from Berlin.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 1 hour 15 minute film made in Germany.  Watching is free provided you can stand the intermittent commercials ( so-called “freevee”). In German and French with subtitles.

Ibrahim is gay and Alexander is a straight homophobe. Despite Alexander’s best efforts at avoiding Ibrahim, over and over Ibrahim saves Alexander from one tight spot after another.  As far as I can tell, their final relationship is a non-sexual close friendship which turns Alexander into an honest businessman.

Enough comedy and warmth to make the film worth watching.

2022, Conspiracy, Friendship, Treason

Amsterdam (2022)

From IMDB:

In the 1930s, three friends witness a murder, are framed for it, and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history.

On the plane back from London I watched this 2 hour 14 minute complete film.

Based on true facts, the film can still be called a comedy because it is full of almost outrageous antics by the three dedicated friends Burt, Valerie, and Harold.  In time you will figure out who the bad guys (i.e. traitors to the U.S.) are and how they related to the trio of friends.

To clinch the patriotism theme, Robert de Niro does a somewhat corny but effective job as General Gil Dillenbeck.

Look for several cameo appearances.

Good enough for a plane trip!

2021, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Acceptable for teenagers, Addiction, Amputee, Angola, Attempted Murder, Based on true facts, Binge worthy, Bloody scenes, Bureaucracy, CIA, Cold War, Communists, Complicated, Conspiracy, Corrupt Military, Corrupt Politicians, Corruption, Could Be Hard To Watch, Cover-up, Cruelty, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, FADO songs, False Accusations, False Imprisonment, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Frame someone for a crime, Government cover-up, Historical Fiction, Hostage Taking, International thriler, Invincible villain, Jealousy, Lesbian Theme, Local color, Longsuffering wife, Love Story, Male Chauvinism, Marital Infidelity, Military, Missing Person, Monstrous Father, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder by poison, Mysterious Disappearance, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Pianist, Plot twists, Police Corruption, Police cover-up, Political Intrigue, Portuguese, Portuguese History, Portuguese-Angola War, Promiscuity, Puzzling Ending, Radio Free Europe, Rape, Revenge, Russian Anti-USA Scheme, Russian Spy, Ruthless Killer, Sex Scenes, Sexual promiscuity, Spousal Abuse, Suicide, Surprise Ending, Suspense, Tennis, Thriller, Torture, Traitors, Trust Nobody, Unhappy Marriage, Unwanted Pregnancy, Violent, War, Wife Beating, Womanizing, Wrongful Arrest

Glória (2021)

From IMDB:

In the 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, in the small village of Glória do Ribatejo, João Vidal will take on several high-risk espionage missions that could change the course of Portuguese and world history.

From Netflix you can stream the 10 episodes of this Portuguese spy thriller.  Each episode lasts about 45 minutes. In Portuguese and English with subtitles.

RARET is short for portuguese RAdio de RETransmissão (Retransmission Radio).  Think of RARET as Radio Free Europe.  An article in the New York Times suggested this film to me. That article, which is worth reading, begins as follows:

————————————————————————-

Anyone who didn’t live through the Cold War might find the Portuguese Netflix spy thriller series “Glória” improbable.

Deep in the Portuguese countryside, in the tiny village of Glória, a complex radio transmission operation run by Portuguese and American engineers springs up in the 1950s, a branch of a Munich-based news organization called Radio Free Europe.

It broadcasts news and anti-communist messages in languages of various Soviet republics, but, in the show and in real life, that’s only part of its early mission: It’s also a C.I.A. front.

Until 1971, Radio Free Europe was a covert U.S. intelligence operation seeking to penetrate the Iron Curtain and foment anti-communist dissent in what was then Czechoslovakia, in Poland and elsewhere.

João (Portuguese for John) is a Russian spy seeking to undermine the activities of RARET.  Through 10 episodes we watch his masterful deceits while many around him get hurt as a result. To really appreciate the story you might brush up on some Portuguese history such as its imperialism (especially in Angola), the dictator Salazar, and PIDE (the Portuguese secret police).

Because the very ending comes as a complete and puzzling surprise, after finishing the series you can read an explanation.

Do not expect much happiness. But – DO NOT MISS!

2022, Abandoned child, Abduction, Acceptable for teenagers, Arson, Based on a Book, Binge worthy, Child abuse, Child Molestation, Child Social Services, Clever Plot, Complicated, Dark family secrets, Detective, Discussions about Emotions, DO NOT MISS, Failed Mother, Frame someone for a crime, Hopeless Love, Incompetent or unfit mother, Lawyers, Marital Infidelity, Monstrous Mother, Mother-son relations, Murder by poison, Murder Investigation, Parkinson's disease, Personal Betrayal, Plot twists, Prostitute, Psychological Thriller, Psychologist, Revenge, Ruthless Killer, Self-cutting, Self-harm, Shocking Ending, Sundance Now Streaming, Troubled Personality, Wrongful Arrest

The Suspect (2022)

From Sundance Now:

Joseph O’Loughlin has the perfect life: a beautiful wife, a loving daughter, and a successful career as a clinical psychologist. But it all begins to unravel when the police seek his professional opinion about the murder of a young woman. Caught in an increasingly complex web of deceit, Joseph risks everything as he embarks upon a search for a killer.

From Sundance Now (through Amazon Prime) you can stream the 5 episodes of this clever suspense series. Each episode lasts about 47 minutes.

Thanks to my neighbor Terry for introducing me to Sundance Now which currently through Amazon Prime is $6.99 per month after a short free trial.

Someone is killing a series of people.  Although DI Vince Ruiz almost obsessively zeroes in on the psychologist Joe O’Loughlin, you will probably spend all 5 episodes bouncing your suspicions from one character to the next. After many character twists the conclusion is a knock out.

Joining Sundance Now just to watch “The Suspect” is worth the price. Besides, you can cancel at any time.

DO NOT MISS!

2016, AIDS, Gay theme, Homophobia, Sundance Now Streaming

Holding the Man (2016)

From Sundance Now:

The sweeping love story of two high school boys and their enduring relationship. Based on the international best seller, starring Guy Pearce and Geoffrey Rush.

From Sundance Now (through Amazon) you can stream this 2 hour 8 minute complete film.

If I had known in advance that both men die young of AIDS I might not have watched. Such films are sad and somewhat formulaic.  Fortunately I did start the film which is very well done.  Expect explicit sexual activity.

Worth watching, but still a real downer.