Reviews

I was a kid in WW2 and saw gazillions of movies about it, mostly from the G. B. side of things. The CGI is of course way better, but the story jumps around too much. Some story lines just stop mid stream, some just appear suddenly and surprisingly. They try to cover the bombing campaign that the Americans did and then added a POW story, with a brief scene of the holocaust thrown in, oh and the Tuskegee airmen show up 3/4 of the way through, and what happened to that WAF who was a spy?

The documentary "The Bloody Hundred" covers the subject with much more information and it's only an hour long. Still it's a good movie for the younger generations to see so they don't forget our history.

A soap filmed in Australia about Miami, with on and off suspense story about a missing mother. Is she, or isn't she? The series veers away from the main story by developing stories about the family, and boy are they a crew! Nobody I'd be proud of! On top of this an interloper who the mother (Benning) takes to, because she seems more the child she wishes she had, helpful, caring, needy. Of course the interloper is suspect #1, and Dad (Neill) is suspect #2.

As a Police procedural it fails badly as the cops don't meet the respect grade, and as a family drama it putters along with little depth. The ending seemed inevitable since the plot had us all lathered up.

Another cookie cutter series about the "amazing skills" of a serial killer profiler. Studies have shown that their skills rarely lead to the killer, and that they usually get caught from their own mistakes. The actress playing Pistorius blathers out the usual psychobabble about motivation and character, but shows us instead her skills as an interrogator, skills that most good Detectives would have. Serial killers continue to attract audiences and profilers and why are usually there on the show to "track them down." What is missing here is "evidence." No DNA, no witnesses, but plenty of confessions, usually taken back. No court room drama. Why do some get out in a few years and many murders go unproven but attributed?

The profiler is the focus, not the killer!

A very well crafted mystery that takes it's time to tell it's story. For a change the main character is not a detective, and the one here has little impact on the story, and doesn't solve any mysteries. The main characters are a father who has lost his daughter and a young woman who might just have returned 11 years later.

It's fun to try and guess how and why the story develops in it's way, and be wrong at times and right at times.

The acting is superb, and the plot is complicated, and what some call slow is, for me, depth.

The end is contrived so that justice is served, and I would have preferred it to have ended in a more unsettling way, but "C'est La Filme."

WW2 is certainly the most examined war in movie/TV history. I watched British movies about it in high school in the U. K. in the 50's (The Dam Busters; The Cruel sea..) and the stories still entertain. This one takes a different tack: Bigotry. Leslie Manville gets her teeth thoroughly into one of the most unpleasant characters I've seen in a while. Dripping sarcasm and snobbery and giving the Upper class a thoroughly bad name Poor old Harry-her son-takes off to Poland and North Africa just to get away from her leaving behind a pregnant girlfriend and a mercy wife.

The only Yanks to be seen are Helen Hunt as a ballsy reporter and a gay Doctor whose characters just disappear (courtesy of COVID?) in season 2.

We get glimpses of a Jewish RAF pilot, a black singer, a Jewish Nurse. However in the second season the Director/writer decide to have 1 minute cameos of 6-7 different stories giving the viewer little time to understand the plots. It's soapy but entertaining enough.

Nicola Walker gets to do her usual great acting as a sometime airhead and sometime top cop. We all know she talks to us all the time, and endlessly goes over ancient literature stories like a teacher talking to elementary kids. What doesn't work out to well is the weak cop show behind it. 2 young cops to give it some energy, and 2 older cops (Nicola being one, and her partner Mike who has as much energy as a wet sponge). Everything gets wrapped up in one episode which makes for a speedy resolution courtesy of the usual confession.

For some reason there is always a pointless chase scene. "Stop Police" never seems to work. Plus they get to whiz about in boats which have little to do with where the crimes occurred or in solving the crimes.

It's a scottish souffle.

I agree with the other reviewer. This is a hidden gem. The acting is superb, the writing is intelligent and often profound. The characters are well developed. They even backed away from ending it with a girl gets guy scene.

The leading actress is superb, and I love her in Cardinal, where she's more restrained, but here is allowed to show us all her delightful talents as a woman whose character is strong, magnetic and beautiful. She is surrounded by equally talented performances by an incredible ensemble.

Why has this been so ignored by the critics? Covidnesia?

And I would like to know the writer's name. This is as deep a script as I've seen in quite a while.

This is a character driven series. The people are the focus, not so much the crimes. Jason Isaacs plays a difficult to like/empathize P. I. who always tries to talk his clients out of hiring him. He hardly ever gets paid, or takes on cases from people who have little to pay him with. Hard to know how he keeps his sarcastic secretary (but glad he does because she's great) or his Aston Martin. The acting is superb, and the girl who plays his daughter is amazing for a minor. Wonder why she stopped acting?

Jackson Brodie is certainly in need of some lessons in how to commit himself, but then why change granite?

The movie tries to copy the 50;s film noirs of Hollywood. Dialog rich, action little. The plot is a retread seen many times before. He has a tale to tell and he'll spin it out slowly. It all takes place in a hotel room and when we realize it ain't going anywhere we presume it's a no action movie. So the plot and dialog are key and in this regard they are a C+ variety. The characters are never interesting enough to pique one's fancy. It might have worked better as a one act play but as a movie it needed more scope. It sort of ambles along and when that happens dialog is key and this is where it falters by dragging out a story that has little weight.

A Brit touting American jingoism, while dissing it's false promises. 2 heroes for the price of one! The action is pulsating but the plot is predictable. Good guys win, bad guys lose. The message is clear American promises falter when bureaucracy runs the show, so action rules. Dar Salim (playing the Afghani) gets little to do beyond act heroic but the point (that the Afghani translators helped us) is hammered home to the hilt. Of course we should help out a super hero! What about the thousands who didn't have to be super heroes to be good allies?

It's good propaganda for a good cause. Honor our word.