Love detective mystery dramas, particularly those from the UK and US ('Inspector Morse', 'A Touch of Frost', 'Foyle's War', 'Inspector George Gently', 'Midsomer Murders', 'Law and Order', 'Criminal Minds', 'Monk' and 'Murder She Wrote' for examples,, and non-English/American ones (i.e. The Swedish 'Wallander' and the Danish 'The Killing') also fascinate me.
'Inspector Montalbano' is one of the best and most entertaining examples. It is not easy breathing freshness into a well-worn genre but 'Inspector Montalbano' manages to do so with aplomb. Watching 'Inspector Montalbano' is like eating a delicious Italian meal that immensely satisfies and leaves you wanting more. There may be very familiar tropes, but in a way it's inevitable and doesn't detract from the enjoyment at all.
"The Game of Three Cards" is up there among my favourite 'Inspector Montalbano' episodes, previous favourites being "A Trip to Tindari", "The Sense of Touch", "The Scent of Night" and "Turning Point". "The Game of Three Cards" is one of those episodes where finding something to fault is very difficult, as wonderful the show is to watch that is not always the case.
One always expects 'Inspector Montalbano' to look good. As always with 'Inspector Montalbano', "The Game of Three Cards" is beautifully shot and the scenery is stunning, making those who've never been to Italy want to book a holiday there as soon as possible and is a treat for anybody who loves all things Italian. The episode contains some of the cleverest and most atmospheric use of location work of the show too. The music is never over-bearing or low-key with a nice atmosphere and flavour, a lot of it is very cleverly used. The sound effects are remarkably authentic.
Writing is tightly structured and taut, with very funny to hilarious humour, nail-biting tension and involving and poignant human drama balanced beautifully. The subtitles are not hard to follow, and the story is one of the show's most tightly plotted (no padding or irrelevant scenes and every scene, even the ambiguity of the outcome of the central relationship, is done to full potential), focused (with it focused predominantly on the mystery) and cohesive.
Characters may be stereotypes but well-written ones, especially one of the most fascinating foreign detective mystery dramas titular characters. Am appreciating Mimi getting more development and as great a character Catarella is (a hilarious scene stealer) him taking a back-seat was a wise move.
Acting is terrific, especially from Luca Zingaretti who is a treasure in the title role, having a perfect balance of comedy and drama and playing it straight while always engaging with his material. Cesare Bocci and Angelo Russo also play their roles blamelessly and Barbara Barbita plays a vamp to sensual perfection.
In summary, wonderful episode and one of my favourites. 10/10 Bethany Cox
'Inspector Montalbano' is one of the best and most entertaining examples. It is not easy breathing freshness into a well-worn genre but 'Inspector Montalbano' manages to do so with aplomb. Watching 'Inspector Montalbano' is like eating a delicious Italian meal that immensely satisfies and leaves you wanting more. There may be very familiar tropes, but in a way it's inevitable and doesn't detract from the enjoyment at all.
"The Game of Three Cards" is up there among my favourite 'Inspector Montalbano' episodes, previous favourites being "A Trip to Tindari", "The Sense of Touch", "The Scent of Night" and "Turning Point". "The Game of Three Cards" is one of those episodes where finding something to fault is very difficult, as wonderful the show is to watch that is not always the case.
One always expects 'Inspector Montalbano' to look good. As always with 'Inspector Montalbano', "The Game of Three Cards" is beautifully shot and the scenery is stunning, making those who've never been to Italy want to book a holiday there as soon as possible and is a treat for anybody who loves all things Italian. The episode contains some of the cleverest and most atmospheric use of location work of the show too. The music is never over-bearing or low-key with a nice atmosphere and flavour, a lot of it is very cleverly used. The sound effects are remarkably authentic.
Writing is tightly structured and taut, with very funny to hilarious humour, nail-biting tension and involving and poignant human drama balanced beautifully. The subtitles are not hard to follow, and the story is one of the show's most tightly plotted (no padding or irrelevant scenes and every scene, even the ambiguity of the outcome of the central relationship, is done to full potential), focused (with it focused predominantly on the mystery) and cohesive.
Characters may be stereotypes but well-written ones, especially one of the most fascinating foreign detective mystery dramas titular characters. Am appreciating Mimi getting more development and as great a character Catarella is (a hilarious scene stealer) him taking a back-seat was a wise move.
Acting is terrific, especially from Luca Zingaretti who is a treasure in the title role, having a perfect balance of comedy and drama and playing it straight while always engaging with his material. Cesare Bocci and Angelo Russo also play their roles blamelessly and Barbara Barbita plays a vamp to sensual perfection.
In summary, wonderful episode and one of my favourites. 10/10 Bethany Cox