Change Your Image
Edinman1
Reviews
Engrenages (2005)
Excellent
Have just watched all 4 series over the last few months, gripping stuff. Armies of flawed characters interacting, well written and acted. I'd love to know if the French police/legal system any way resembles the TV series, I was a bit bewildered sometimes about who people were and what was happening, maybe more so with Roban. I did wonder about the high percentage of 'baddies' that came from the immigrant communities, not many positive portrayals out there and I wondered if this caused any comment in France at the time. OK, some of the plot lines were a bit contrived and there some co-incidences too far, but overall most of the many plot-lines kept me interested. Given there were at least three separate plots going on at any one time (the police/Pierre Josephine and Roban), I never really switched off because we wandered onto a lesser plot. I understand there will be a series 5 (and 6). I thought at one point in the last episode (spoiler alert!) that the 6 main characters were being assembled in order to be blown to smithereens at the end, but pleasingly this was not the case. I kinda like the fact that not all the bad guys get caught (and the good guys don't always win). Off to find something else with sub-titles to watch....
The Promise (2011)
Enjoyable
I had a personal interest in this for two reasons. My father served with the paras in Palestine (having joined up to fight the Germans) and I've had a long-term interest in what is now known as the 'IP' question. I have to say I was engrossed by the whole series, although there a few dramatic devices which were verging on the unbelievable. It might have worked better as a drama for those who knew absolutely nothing about the situation, in either era. I probably spent too much time worrying about the politics. My sympathies have always lain with the Palestinian side, and there were bits of it I thought were good for setting out a side to Israel that isn't always seen (eg the attitude of the settlers to the indigenous population, which I suspect are an embarrassment to many Israelis). However, although I know where I stand, I wouldn't want to watch anything which contained too much simple propaganda. I think The Promise did achieve a level of balance, sometimes to the detriment of the drama (eg the King David Hotel incident being followed by a suicide bomber). The perception has been is that The Promise was more pro Arab than Israeli, but I can guarantee that no-one with strong views and a knowledge of the history would be particularly satisfied with the politics. For instance, all the main characters were either Brits or Jews, the Arabs were walk-on one dimensional characters. I think it can best be regarded as a drama set in turbulent times, and not as a drama documentary - there is simply too much history to cover to do anything else. I realise it was a dramatic device but poor Len seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time throughout. To put in context, the British had about 100,000 troops in Palestine from 46 to 48, and lost 234 (ish). Not a small figure, but less than you would think from watching The Promise where every other Jew appeared to be a member of the Irgun (which was just one of a number of Jewish organisations). And the 100,000 weren't all Paras... As others have mentioned, why didn't Erin just read the whole diary at once!! Anyway, I elected not to include spoilers so I'll remain silent on various bits which annoyed me along the 'that didn't happen' and 'that couldn't happen' lines. But overall, I did actually enjoy it. Worth watching.
Hope Springs (2009)
lighthearted romp
OK, I only started watching it because its filmed in my part of the country, and yes, the first episode was a bit (?) unbelievable, but I must confess I've been enjoying it in an unchallenging way. It was mercilessly derided by all the critics based on the first episode, but it has improved. Oddly, it is the 'locals' that seem to have the best parts, although the girls are finally getting a bit fleshed out. Before I even saw it, I thought 'Widows meets 2,000 Acres', and I was a bit miffed to read just that in the press.... As others have said, its a jolly escapist romp of a Sunday evening, its not into costume drama territory.
Night People (2005)
A pleasant experience
We enjoyed this film. Although the subject matter appeared to show the darker side of society, at the end of the day most of the plot lines finished with a positive perspective, although universally happy endings were not ever likely. The photography was excellent, using relatively simple subjects to create scenes of great beauty, without using the easy option of going for all of Edinburgh's more photogenic attractions. It could actually have been any city (except for the accents....) Where there are a number of different plot lines, it is always difficult to maintain interest in them all equally, but the script seemed to get it mostly right. I thought a couple of the plots were very good, and I was less interested in one of the plot-lines, but I suspect everyone watching this film will have their own favourites. The point to a film like this is to come away full of images and stories relating to one night in one city, and I thought the film was successful in this regard. There must always be room for a slower-paced film, but with relatively simple plots, where one can appreciate the craft of camera-work, use of light, sharp dialogue, etc etc.. I would recommend this film.