Detective Montalbano (TV Series) La caccia al tesoro (2011) User Reviews

Very dark

[DoctorStrabismus · 8/10 · 18 November 2022]

Another very dark Montalbano, reminding every viewer of the hideous things a police inspector has to confront. It's all part of the job, but it must take a terrible psychological toll.

It does have its touches of humour, a small lampoon of fanatical religious excess, and misunderstandings of almost a 'French bedroom farce' quality. It even has Catarella trying to show that he understands 'American'. However, deep down we know that there is something very sinister going on, and that there may be horrors yet in store for us.

For once, Mimì Augello is the one who comes up with a little bit of inspiration towards solving the plot. But then, Mimì never can forget the face of a beautiful woman!

8/10.

Playing a sinister game

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 11 November 2012]

As this episode opens the police are getting a little concerned about a pair of elderly religious fanatics who are hanging banners from their windows warning people of the consequences of their sin. Since they have a licensed firearm in the house Montalbano sends Mimi to have a word with them and they shoot at him! After regrouping to discuss strategy Montalbano and Mimi enter the house and arrest the couple… they also find the man's 'wife' in bed… she is an inflatable sex doll!! Soon afterwards a body is reported in a wheelie-bin… this too is a doll. It seems unlikely that two such dolls should appear at the same time; especially as they are of a type not made for thirty years and had suffered identical damage. Since they were just dolls there is little to worry about; no obvious crime had been committed. Soon a real crime takes place; a homeless man is killed on the beach; during the investigation Montalbano is accompanied by a friend of Ingrids who had asked if he could observe a case as part of his studies. Away from the dolls and the murder somebody is sending Montalbano cryptic clues as part of some strange treasure hunt; inevitably as the episode nears its end it becomes clear that the sender of the letters isn't playing an innocent game; but by the time Montalbano realises that a woman is dead and he could be next!

This was a really enjoyable episode; a great one to end the current run with (they weren't shown in the order listed on the IMDb in the UK) The case had plenty of intriguing moments; some tense times and quite a number of laughs… just why did Fazio know so much about the dolls! As always the cast did a fine job; Luca Zingaretti is great as Montalbano and even though she was only in a fairly short time I loved Isabell Sollman's performance as Ingrid; the way she laughed when she found the dolls at Montalbano's house was quite infectious! I expect quite a few viewers will guess the culprit before he is unmasked as it was the sort of character who would serve no purpose in the story if he wasn't the killer!

I really enjoyed this run of episodes and hope we see more of the Sicilian detective in the future; Saturdays won't be the same without 'Inspector Montalbano'.

A beautiful but sinister treasure

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 17 October 2017]

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.

"Treasure Hunt" continues the high quality of 'Inspector Montalbano' without being one of the greatest episodes. Let down only by the slight obviousness, by 'Inspector Montalbano' standards, of the culprit.

One always expects 'Inspector Montalbano' to look good. As always with 'Inspector Montalbano', "Treasure Hunt" 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 scenery as always is atmospheric and the use of it very clever. 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.

As ever, there is a very good mix of humour, tension and poignant human drama, with a story that's continually absorbing, tightly plotted, complicated without being incoherent and never illogical.

Characters may be stereotypes but well-written ones, especially one of the most fascinating foreign detective mystery dramas titular characters there is to me.

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.

In summation, great episode if not quite one of my favourites. 9/10 Bethany Cox