In the UK: Sunday 27th September, 10pm, BBC4. Available on the iPlayer
Episode four, and although it was a slightly less involving affair than normal, Engrenages still continues to live up to the hype. This week: just how well are gay men treated in France by society and the police.
In the UK: Sunday 27th September, 10pm, BBC4. Available on the iPlayer
It’s episode three of the second season of Engrenages aka Spiral, and we have a new theme on top of the usual Engrenages tropes. We have the series’ continuing study of the misogyny prevalent apparently everywhere in France, whether it’s in the legal system or among the general populace, as well as the acknowledgement that good can be evil and evil can be good.
But in this episode, we also have a look at terror.
The people have spoken and the decree is "let’s have episode by episode reviews of Spiral (aka Engrenages aka the French TV series that doesn’t suck".
So here we go: episode two, another multi-layered piece of subtlety and blistering indictment of the corruption at all levels of the French criminal system. Apparently.
In the UK: Sundays, BBC4, 10pm. Available on the iPlayer
Imagine if Katie Price’s next book turned out to be Hamlet. It would be incredible, wouldn’t it? Unbelievable, in fact.
But we’re talking that level of surprise that French TV could come up with Engrenages (aka Spiral).
For the most part, French TV is dubbed American imports, films, game shows and sitcoms that make ITV’s best efforts look like Curb Your Enthusiasm. Yet, a few years ago, bewilderingly Canal+, France’s answer to HBO, came up with Spiral, a French cop show almost as good as The Wire – and every bit as gritty, socially conscious, well written, well acted and authentic, albeit with some very pretty French people indeed.
The first season was a no-holds barred look at the French justice system, and was unafraid to show judges as corrupt, cops as racist, brutal and criminal, and lawyers as amoral and willing to screw over anyone for their own advancement.
Now, a year after it aired in France, BBC4 has finally gotten around to showing the second season. Could it possibly be as good as the first season?
Miracles do happen. It is.
Here’s a trailer for season two – it’s in French mind and contains a few spoilers for the next episode.
¡Madre Mia! I’ve finally got round to writing it. The reasons you should own Manhunter! Will wonders never cease?
As far as most people are concerned, The Silence of the Lambs was the film that introduced serial killer Hannibal Lecter to the world. Starring (Sir) Anthony Hopkins as the ex-psychiatrist and people-eater, it was one of the first horror movies to do respectably at the Oscars and catapulted both Hopkins and Jodie Foster, who played the FBI agent trying to mine him for information, into the league of A-list stars.
Since then, we’ve had Hannibal and Red Dragon, both starring Hopkins as Lecter, and young Lecter movie, Hannibal Rising – all to diminishing effect.
What not many people realise is that back in the 80s, Michael Mann, director of Heat, Collateral, The Insider and Last of the Mohicans as well as creator of Miami Vice, had already adapted the original Lecter novel, Red Dragon, as Manhunter.
Way before Millennium, Profiler and CSI made popular forensic science, psychological profiling and the idea of thinking inside a killer’s mind to catch him, it featured CSI‘s William Petersen as Will Graham, the man who caught Lecter by risking his own sanity and daring to think the same thoughts. Equally notably, it also featured Brian Cox as Hannibal – and he’s a damn sight better than Anthony Hopkins.
Which is why Manhunter is a movie you should own. Here’s the original trailer for Manhunter – forgive it for being made in the 80s.
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