A scene from the Italian light murder mystery series “Makari.” Courtesy of MHz Choice
It’s been almost two years since I reviewed the earlier seasons of this light, charming Italian murder mystery series, “Makari,” set in sunny Sicily. I encourage you to read the prior reviews to refresh your memory (as did I), to better understand the players and relationships for this third season. Here’s the link to that review: https://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2023/07/makari-season-2-tv-series-review/.
This round includes four separate cases, with some significant story arcs running throughout. The episodes are a bit longer than before – each about 2 hours – but the light tenor of the series continues. Peppe helps Saverio with everything, while providing the rest of us with the comic relief of his clumsy, overly-friendly puppy personality.
This year, Saverio is enjoying some success as a novelist, leading to his being offered a guest teaching position at a nearby school. The students couldn’t possibly be less interested in books at the start. But he, of course, wins them over. Suleima has completed her architecture studies and is working on a project for Saverio in their eponymous village of Makari. Their blissful co-habitation is threatened when an old beau of hers, Guilio (Eugenio Franceschini), suddenly appears with a sob story of failed romance that makes him turn to his former best friend for solace. He becomes a thorn in Saverio’s side throughout the season, as ulterior motives emerge.
In the first episode, Saverio is asked for help from an old girlfriend who is being sued by another of his exes; one of their husbands is killed, making the other’s a prime suspect. Suleima becomes suspicious that one or both of the women might still have the hots for her guy. In the second, the restoration of a nearby village leads to sharply divided factions among the locals on its direction; one side demands emphasis on historical purity; the other wants to create more of an active arts center. That results in one of the leaders gettin’ hisself kilt. Also, it starts to appear as if the foxy teacher Michela (Serena Iansiti) who recommended Saverio to the school may have more intimate aspirations.
The third is both the funniest and most irritating of the lot, as Suleima’s parents arrive unexpectedly to also stay in their house. Her overbearing dad still thinks of Giulio as the son he never had, and the son-in-law he should have had, fawning over him endlessly, while criticizing and nitpicking at everything about Saverio. That drags on alongside a vendor’s murder at a major book festival. The last episode takes place at a swanky spa that may not be the miraculous new-age health and healing operation that it purports to be. Naturally, while our little crew of protagonists is there, a doctor turns up dead. As has happened several times in the series, Saverio first has to convince the cops that it wasn’t an accident before working towards a solution.
As before, the series thrives on Saverio’s easygoing charm and Peppe’s levity, plus the rocky course of his love for Suleima. The mystery element continues to remain well-written, maintaining suspense throughout each. No need to binge, but watch them in order to follow the course of several relationships. By the end, you’ll likely join me in hoping for a fourth season.
“Makari” Season Three, mostly in Italian with English subtitles, begins streaming on MHz Choice on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
A scene from the Chinese action movie HUNT THE WICKED. Courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment
HUNT THE WICKED is a Chinese action flick in a contemporary crime setting that packs considerable punch in its considerable amount of punches, knifings, shootings and ‘splosions. The premise is rather standard, with more complications and twists than usual in the plot.
Miao Xie stars as Huang, a super-tough supercop pitted against huge drug manufacturing and importing ring that has long defied the efforts of the authorities. That’s partly due to the corruption among certain cops and politicians obscuring their activities and derailing most of the legit efforts. The film opens with Huang making the biggest bust to date of the meth-like pills the gang is making called Spider. It can be fatal for those who use it, and even more so for those who get hooked. In the course of Huang’s pursuit of the syndicate’s upper echelons, he must fend off major efforts by the cartel to recover their confiscated product from the secret place Huang stored it. Those efforts are either helped or hindered by a rogue ex-cop (Andy On), creating quite a bit of suspense about who should trust whom, since the latter had become known to the authorities as a major criminal.
The big draw here lies in the fight sequences, ranging from gritty one-on-ones, to heavily-populated clashes yielding high body counts. Their intensity is partly due to the fact that Miao Xie has won a number of Wushu tournaments, and On studied multiple disciplines, ranging from time at a Shaolin temple to working with Jackie Chan’s crew of trainers. The real starring credit arguably is to be shared between director Suiqiang Huo and stunt coordinator Long Zhao, with a high-five to Jun Li’s cinematography. I’d also give a nod to the location scout(s) for finding several excellent settings for the proceedings to unfold.
Despite what may strike one as protracted story arcs – including our knowing who the main villains are too long before our hero gets there – the lead performances and scale of action make this one worth watching.
HUNT THE WICKED, in Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles, debuts on digital platforms from WellGoUSA on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
A scene from the Swedish TV crime series “Jana, Marked for Life.” Courtesy of ViaPlay
This Swedish procedural miniseries ”Jana, Marked for Life” is well-written in terms of plot suspense, but falls short in developing personalities of the principals that inspire engagement with them. Jana (Madeleine Martin) is the daughter of a wealthy, respected judge who is about to retire. At a posh party in His Honor’s honor, Jana spoils daddy’s evening by announcing that she’s starting work as a local prosecuting attorney, rather than accept the prestigious job he’d arranged for her with a leading firm in Stockholm.
Day one puts her on a murder case with detective Peer (August Wittgenstein), with whom she has a history. She also must work with a female officer, Mia (Moa Gammel), who resents the hell out of this privileged lass walking into a better job than hers, and immediately asserting her own ideas about the case too vigorously. Jana has more knowledge about the victim than she acknowledges to the others, and is also haunted by dreams and flashbacks to a troubled youth that she doesn’t actually remember. Apparently, she was adopted after a tragic early life with all conscious memory blotted out. She also has inexplicable fighting skills that show up in an emergency.
The murder victim was about to blow the whistle on a major criminal ring when he was whacked by someone looking like a small, lithe ninja. Not exactly standard for Nordic criminals. Through six hour-long episodes, we gradually learn more about Jana’s backstory and how it may relate to the current crime she’s working. Those efforts are hampered by issues with her junkie kid sister Jojo (Sigrid Johnson); her father and former shrink withholding information about those nagging origins; and Jana’s refusal to share what she’s learning with the cops like a proper team player would. That’s rather annoying, especially when she repeatedly puts herself in positions of danger without any notice to the others. Nor does she make things easier for her troubled sibling by explaining that her bitchiness is job and history-related, not disapproval of Jojo, who takes Jana’s aloofness personally.
As the good guys stumble their way through the maze of possible crimes and perps, old and current, Jana’s chosen secrecy and autonomy wear thin. Most such dramas thrive on the likability and/or empathy factor of their protagonist(s). Jana is as off-putting to the viewers as to the other players in her family and work circles. She’s smart and usually correct in her suspicions, but frustratingly closed off in how she pursues the essential answers.
The season ends in a complete package without significant cliffhangers, though it does leave some residue for a second season. Since it originally aired in 2024, that remains as a distinct possibility. If so, perhaps Jana will have purged enough of her devils to play more nicely with others on the next case. That would make an upgrade for them and the viewers.
“Jana, Marked for Life,” mostly in Swedish with English subtitles, streams on ViaPlay starting May 9, 2025.
A scene from the Dutch TV crime series “The Hunt.” Courtesy of ViaPlay
The Dutch miniseries “The Hunt” (originally “Een van ons”) is supposedly based on a sordid real-life murder than garnered national attention in 1999, and for years afterward. In a small northern village, Anneke (Richelle Plantinga), a popular teen girl, was raped and murdered while cycling home from a local night club. No one knew who did it but there was enough anti-immigrant sentiment to make newly-arrived Afghanis, living in a Community Center for integration into their community, the prime suspects. That possible scapegoating was motivating emotionally, even if not logistically, for the many of the residents.
The story is largely presented by classmate Fenna (Eefje Paddenburg), whose main connection to Anneke was having the hots for the lass’s boyfriend, Jeroen (Gijs Blom), with whom Anneke quarreled just before she pedaled off to her fate. The scripts bounce among several time periods – 1999, 2001, 2009 and 2012 – from crime to solution in six hour-long episodes. We also meet a whole bunch of the family and neighbors, dwelling on the perspectives and consequences for each at some point, and giving airtime to a wide range of conflicts within and among them. The tone is that of a suspense drama, with little levity or overt action. The plot moves slowly, requiring patience as much as empathy or curiosity from viewers.
The triggering incident itself was quite disturbing. But the worst part about watching this course of events is its relevance to our present. The xenophobia and fascistic fervor of some split the town down the middle on mob rule versus due process. It’s as much a cautionary tale as a crime drama. Anneke’s family and friends were naturally angered by the loss, and frustrated by years of failure to nail the perpetrator, who most likely was living among them for the whole time, either in the village or at the Center. Some feared the Afghanis; others relied on them as a vital part of the area’s economy.
A deep cast contributes well to establishing an array of sympathetic and/or despicable players – many with elements of both. Attitudes and changes over time for many of them seem realistic, and not simplified for the medium. As has often been the case while reviewing imported TV series, the package felt longer than needed. Trimming the content to four episodes would have made a more compelling experience. The first three are particularly long on exposition and short on plot advancement. Fortunately, the latter half provides more excitement along the path to resolution, including an uptick in physical actions, and a few dollops of sexual activity. Enough to make it a series worth considering for a binge.
“The Hunt,” mostly in Dutch with English subtitles, streams on ViaPlay starting Mar. 27, 2025.
As the big Spring break period approaches its conclusion, there’s still just enough time left for a quick trip via the multiplex. The destination’s not an exotic locale far from our shores, nor the pixel-generated backdrops of this weekend’s big studio flick. This movie “getaway” all takes place on the sunny streets of Oakland, CA. And, more importantly, this is a “time trip” since the “stories” are set in the long-ago Reagan era of 1987. Yes, I said “stories’ as this is an anthology of “twisted” fables with characters dropped in and out of different segments, so it differs from the TALES FROM THE CRYPT or NEW YORK STORIES template, though there’s an off-screen narrator (unlike the Cryptkeeper). So, get your hair teased out, unplug the Walkman, lace up the Reeboks, and set the “Wayback machine” 38 years in reverse to take in some truly FREAKY TALES.
Speaking of that narrator, he provides a bit of a prologue as we’re told of a mysterious green glow, perhaps alien in origin, that affected that gritty West Coast city in 1987. As a TV commercial for a “self-help” style center called “Psytopics” fades out, we’re taken to the outside of a movie theatre playing a quartet of classic 80s flicks for the first story, “The Gilman Strikes Back”. A trio of “New Wave” garbed friends are hassled by a truck full of teenage Neo-Nazi skinheads, who speed away. Ah, but they aren’t done for the night as they invade an underground dance club and destroy the venue and the band’s instruments. A young couple, Tina (Ji-young Yoo) and “Lucid” (Jack Champion) decide, along with the other club regulars and owners, to fight back. Next is “Don’t Fight the Feeling,” in which two young women who work in an ice cream shop decide to pursue their dream of being hip-hop stars. It may come true when Entice (Normani) and Barbie (Dominique Thorne), AKA “Danger Zone”, get a chance to be part of a big concert with rap superstar Too $hort (DeMario Simba Driver). But could it actually be a “set up”? From there we’re dropped into the last days of a loan shark enforcer with the third tale “Born to Mack”, as weary “leg-breaker” Clint (Pedro Pascal) tries to leave the “life’ and settle down with his pregnant partner Grace (Natalia Dominguez). But the ‘sins of the past” catch up to him outise a video rental shop, run by a familar talkative cinefile. The final story is “The Legend of Sleepy Floyd”, which focuses on the title Golden State Warriors superstar (Jay Ellis) who becomes the target of a home invasion committed by a biker gang turned burglars sent out by the crime mastermind known simply as “The Guy” (Ben Mendelsohn). They soon find out that basketball is just one of Floyd’s incredible “skills”.
Now, even though it’s four stories, several of the actors should be lauded since there’s certainly a lot of “cross-over” activity. Its biggest star might be the busiest guy in streaming TV, though he’ll truly stretch (sorry) as Mr. Fantastic this Summer: the internet’s “daddy”, Pedro Pascal. He brings a real gravitas to the haunted Clint, a “working class” mob soldier who’s aching to reach that light at the end of the tunnel, the road to a better future. That’s reachable unless the past grabs him. Yes, he’s fearsome when he confronts his last “gig”, but Pascal can tug on our hearts moments later with his love. At the opposite end of the spectrum is the always terrific Mendelsohn, who is ruthless and brutal with none of the sophistication of previous “baddies” in STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE or READY PLAYER ONE as the sneering, lascivious crimeboss creep. And kudos to him for resisting the temptation to twirl his mustache. The most physical, rather than verbal, of the main roles is “Sleepy,” played with lots of charisma and steely determination by Ellis. He’s gregarious and charming after the big game, but “flips a switch” when responding to the tragedy in a twist on the typical superhero origin story. Also engaging are the BFFS played by Normani and Thorne, who try to escape food service “Hell”, with a chance at hip hop stardom. Their ‘arc” takes a turn when they decide to forge ahead even though they believe their “invite” was merely to put them back in “their place”, mainly as “eye candy” for the men with the mike. And happily we get one last big screen performance by the late Angus Cloud as the main “intel man” for The Guy.
My lack of knowledge about the people behind this film gave an added element of pleasant surprise as the end credits rolled. I had assumed (which is always a “no-no”) that this was made by a film student (or students) fresh from graduation, eager to make their “mark”, and trying to use all the cinematic “toys ” at their disposal. But no, this is from the directing/screenwriting team of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who have been making features for twenty years now. Most of their work would be considered “indie”, though their last effort was a stint in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with CAPTAIN MARVEL. With that film’s late 1990s setting, they were comfortable in going back another decade with this sprightly, grungy, zingy ode to pop culture tropes at he time. Sure, there’s a definite Quentin Tarantino influence, particularly PULP FICTION and especially ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD with the inclusion of several real people (Sleepy and Too $hort), but it also felt as though the story was concocted after a weekend video store rental “binge” during that era. We get nods to everything from SEVEN SAMURAI to the “Lone Wolf and Cub” flicks to REPO MAN and even SCANNERS, with some Bruce Lee tossed in for a bit of spice. Oh, and back to the “toys”, Boden and Fleck make great use of retro special effects, from the practical “gore” of the final battle to the green glow that gives a boost to a city bus (which is a riff on the orb from HEAVY METAL). And there’s some nifty “2D” animation, as sketchy stick folk act out the inner thoughts of Tina and Lucid (naughty boy), and later to illustrate the big basketball game in the style of Saturday morning TV adventure shows. Those cartoon bits may have been “side winks” to underground comix, lurid paperbacks, and the glory days of black and white comic magazines such as “Creepy” and “Eerie”. Boden and Fleck also reward us for paying attention as they return to different locales and offer “blink-and-you ‘miss them” cameos, which add to the fun of the flick. And “fun” is the main “f” word, along with fabulous, flashy, funky, and ferocious, making it the perfect “midnight movie” that can be enjoyed anytime of day at the multiplex, drive-in, or “grindhouse”. So thank you, Oakland, for the perfect quick escape from the 2020s via the talent and imagination of the truly dynamic duo of Boden and Fleck and their FREAKY TALES. Hmm, now I’m in the mood for the tasty hot dogs this curly-haired lanky kid once sold at the A’s games…
3.5 Out of 4
FREAKY TALES is now playing in theatres everywhere
I’m always excited about the opening of a new Jason Statham action flick. A WORKING MAN is directed by David Ayer, who had just collaborated with Jason on last year’s excellent BEEKEEPER thrill-fest. It’s co-written by Sylvester Stallone, who (to my surprise) has 44 feature screenplay credits under his Rocky Balboa title belt, mostly for films he starred in. Them ain’t been none too high on brain fodder, but they reliably delivered the desired level of adrenaline boosting.
In this one, Statham plays a former super-soldier running a construction crew for a cozy family business owned by Joe Garcia (Michael Pena), assisted by his collegian daughter Jenny (Arianna Rivas). When Jenny is snatched from a nightclub for unknown nefarious reasons, Jason has to kick-start his old particular set of skills to rescue the lass.
What follows is the accustomed path of working his way up the criminal food chain to save the girl while wiping out a slew of evildoers along the way. This entails deployment of feet, fists, some big knives, a helluva lotta guns, two grenades and a bomb. Unfortunately, the bomb isn’t IN the script. It IS the script.
For all the rounds of ammo fired, the bullets leave fewer holes than the plot. The details are too aggravating to enumerate. If you see this turkey anyway, take a note pad to keep track of them for some fun. Or wait for the streaming release, gather some pals and make it a drinking game. Down a shot every time something doesn’t make sense. No one will be able to drive home safely.
The action sequences were terrific in BEEKEEPER. But this one isn’t nearly as Statham-y as that was. Too much shooting, without his usual screen time of masterful hand-to-hand. Even worse, the choppy edits and dark settings made those clashes less exciting than one should expect from Ayers and Statham.
A couple of possible explanations come to mind. Perhaps Jason was ill or injured and they couldn’t find a stunt double who could adequately match his looks and moves. Or maybe the lighting crew went on strike, and they had to film without enough illumination. The sound was no bargain, either. Much of the dialog was hard to understand because of mumbling or background noises. That may have been a blessing, because the stuff one could hear wasn’t very engaging.
The structure of the story and the makeup of the eponymous hero were pure Statham – the elements that have made him a long-running star, thriving ever since his trio of TRANSPORTER flicks. But the execution here lets him and his fans down. Badly.
A WORKING MAN opens in theaters on Friday, Mar. 28.
A scene from the Belgian TV crime series “Public Enemy.” Courtesy of MHz Choice
I believe “Public Enemy: Season One” is the first Belgian crime series I’ve covered, and it’s a pretty good intro to the country’s production of police procedurals. Chloe (Stephanie Blanchoud) is a big-city detective who has run afoul of the brass. That’s why she’s assigned to escort a serial child killer, Guy Beranger (Angelo Bison), who has served 20 of his 30-year sentence, to his parole placement – novitiate to the monks at a small-town monastery. She also has to stick around for quite a while to oversee security. Chloe is probably the worst choice for the gig for reasons we gradually learn during the season.
The village locals are up in arms about having this notorious scumbag in their midst; many of the monks are equally displeased. The villagers fear for the safety of their children. A few, primarily publican Patrick (Philippe Jeusette), have another reason – big plans for a tourist-attracting development that Guy’s presence threatens. Ain’t nobody gonna be comin’ to hang out at a resort with him in the vicinity. It would seem as appealing as taking ice-carving lessons from O.J.
Shortly after Guy’s arrival, a young girl disappears. Everyone assumes he’s back to his old sadism, though the logistics cast doubt. During the season a couple of further events along those lines further stir the pot. Throughout, Bison’s Guy evokes comparisons to Hannibal Lecter. Not for his dietary preferences, but for the calm, controlled intellect that keeps his culpability ambiguous while manipulating others via mind games.
The first four episodes are slow sledding, and Chloe is a less engaging protagonist than average for the genre. But the pace of the plot and the level of physical action pick up nicely the rest of the way. The other principals with significant story arcs are local detective Michael (Jean-Claude Dubiez) and the young monk in charge of Guy’s acclimation to their cloistered life, Lucas (Paul Galliano). Both add noteworthy value to the product. Bison, and Vincent Londez as his psycho son, deliver superb and varied forms of villainy.
Despite the tedium of the early going, the nine credited writers have crafted a suspenseful season with a surprising denouement (Well, surprising to me, who hopes not to be the only one that didn’t see it coming.). More seasons have aired abroad, and will surely join this fine start in streaming on our side of the Atlantic.
“Public Enemy,” mostly in French with English subtitles, begins streaming on MHz Choice starting Tuesday, Mar. 18.
A scene from the Dutch TV series “Chantal.” Courtesy of MHz Choice
We’ll start the review of “Chantal: Season One” with a “consumer caution:” if you’re looking for an extension of the 2007 soft-core porn flick with the same title, this ain’t nowhere close to the same ballpark, so cool the jets of your libido before starting.
Regular readers know I’ve reviewed a lot of European crime series here, including many that were comedic in tone. This dramedy offers a couple of unique aspects: it’s our first from Belgium, and it’s more droll than other light faves like “Capitaine Marleau” or “Captain Sharif”. The familiar part is that the eponymous police detective (Maaike Cafmeyer) comes to a small town to head its unit. She moves there with her daughter (Anna-Marie Missoul) seeking a less taxing turf than before, so she’ll have more time to study for the Commander exam. This is meant to be only a short-term gig before moving to Brussels for the higher-level training if she passes, and a meatier position thereafter.
The little town of Loveringem, located in the western part of Flanders, isn’t quite ready for a female cop. Even though Chantal is middle-aged, everyone she meets assumes this newcomer must be an underling. She’s also resented by Rik “the Sheriff” Cloedt (Dries Heyneman) who assumed he’d become top banana, only to be outranked by the first distaff colleague they’d seen. Besides the sexism, Chantal has to circumvent smug cops from higher-ranking agencies who diss her little band of locals and try to shunt them off to menial tasks… or less.
Part of the droll humor comes from the prevailing cowboy motif of the community, despite its apparent dearth of cattle. Most of the guys dress like extras in an oater. They typically drink beer from the bottle, rather than wine. The homey main bar/social hub (Café Misery) looks like a roadhouse teleported from the southern US, complete with country music and line dancing. Everything but a mechanical bull in the décor.
Season One consists of eight hour-long episodes, opening and closing with two-parters, surrounding six stand-alone murders to solve. As usual for Euro-fare, there’s not much action or visible gore throughout. The scripts are written well enough so that even the more obvious mysteries are entertaining to watch. The cast is completely non-glamorous, making all the characters as relatable as they come, with a mix of bad eggs, good folk and oddballs. A bunch of players get fleshed out with story arcs, making the series grow cozier for viewers as they continue.
No cliffhangers. Season Two has already aired abroad, and most who start here should be eager for Chantal’s further adventures to join this charming intro to our side of the Atlantic.
“Chantel” Season One, mostly in Dutch with English subtitles, begins streaming on MHz Choice starting Tuesday, Feb. 25.
I really got a kick out of the Blaxploitation films of the 1970s when they were new, and just as much recently when I found many of them streaming at one place or another. Pam Grier was a tough, smart and sexy sensation in a bunch of action movies. Same for Tamara Dobson – notably in a couple of outings as Cleopatra Jones. JADE tries to ply those waters in a 2020s setting, with a mixed bag of results. The title has been used several times in a variety of films unrelated to this 2025 release.
The eponymous character is played by diminutive British actress Shaina West, who appears as a Pam Grier Mini-me with an even bigger Afro. She’s a good person caught up in the underworld after emigrating to the US. Though trying to get out of that life after a tragic loss, she gets sucked back in. Ain’t that always the way it goes? Some henchman sticks her with a hard drive that all the good and bad guys want, with uncertainty as to who she can trust among them.
The one she absolutely should avoid most is a crime boss named Tork, played by the bizarre creature currently residing in Mickey Rourke’s body. Jade gets bounced around from one bad situation to another at a breakneck pace, leading to a generous serving of well-designed fight sequences, along with some gruesome bits of torture to several unfortunate souls.
Unlike that earlier generation of female-featuring flicks, this one leaves out the sexy and fashionista bits, and fronts a score that is less in-your-face. But Ms. West has done stunt work before and it shows to advantage here. At least I think it does. Most of the action occurs at night and in dark buildings, partially obscuring the efforts of the combatants. The highlight is the inevitable climactic fight that rivals Uma Thurman’s celebrated wipe-out of The 88 in KILL BILL: PART ONE. (Coincidentally, that’s the number of minutes director James Bradford needed to deliver this product in a lean, mean package.)
Rourke’s symbiote shows his menace without exerting much energy. Skilled martial artist/actor Mark Dacascos (head of the gang in the final fight for JOHN WICK 3, and star of many direct-to-video action flicks) was barely utilized. So those drawn by seeing his name the ads shouldn’t expect much of his presence. This one’s for popcorn night when the cerebrum needs a break.
JADE is available in digital formats from WellGo USA starting Tuesday, Feb. 18.
Gwendoline Hamon as Cassandre, in the French TV crime drama “Cassandre” Season One. Courtesy of MHz Choice
The premise of the French TV crime drama, “Cassandre,” is nothing new to fans of the genre. A police detective from Paris moves to a much smaller city due to some sort of scandal/personal problem that made him/her want/need a change of scenery badly enough to take a big step down the career ladder. But based on the two episodes comprising first half of its debut season that were available for review, the scripts and casting still make this one a fine entry into your realm of viewing options. I must not be the only one thinking that way. After starting in 2015, it’s now up to 30 episodes (and still counting), with the same principal cast.
Gwendoline Hamon stars in the title role as an ambitious, successful detective who asks for transfer to the city where, as we soon learn, the juvenile detention school her surly teenage son Jules (Luca Malinowski) was sentenced to is located. She’s resented by her new colleagues not only for being an outsider, but for replacing the beloved old boss, who just happened to be the husband of the prosecutor (Beatrice Agenin) and the father of #2 detective Pascal (Alexandre Varga), who everyone assumed would take up his father’s position. For another source of friction within the unit, Nicky (Jessy Salomee Ugolin) is secretly boinking Pascal and worries that this rather attractive new arrival will provide competition for his affections.
The first case offers no respite, as the body of a hang glider soon shows itself to be the result of murder, not mishap. She was the wife of a man who is part of a rich and influential family. They resist any investigation that could reflect poorly on them or their businesses. Even worse, Cassandre’s inquiries turn up some old skeletons that are even more upsetting to many of the principals.
The second case is about the murder of a popular teacher at Jules’ school. Once again, the pressure is on because many locals were already fearful of the bad kids being housed in their town, and would love finding a scandal to justify closing it. If you don’t know what NIMBY means, Google it, since it’s an attitude that exists just about everywhere.
The cast is excellent. As usual for Euro fare, they are mostly attractive, but well shy of glamorous, to keep them in a relatively relatable dimension. There’s also less action and bloodshed than one typically finds in comparable US crime dramas. One bonus is the fourth member of the squad, Dominique Pinon, whose distinctive face you will recognize even if you don’t know his name. The veteran actor has played a wide array of supporting characters in comedies and dramas on both sides of the Atlantic, and always delivers the goods. With about 200 movie and TV credits under his belt, it’s gratifying to see him landing a steady gig.
There’s a lot of melodrama in the mix, especially surrounding Cassandre, her bitter son and bitterer (I don’t care if that’s not a real word. I like the way it scans here) ex. That’s usually a turn-off for me, but it’s all so well written and integrated by series creators Bruno Lecigne and Matthieu Masmondet that they set the table for a long and satisfying run.
“Cassandre” Season One, in French with English subtitles, streams on MHz Choice starting Tuesday, Jan. 14.
