1. M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder - a remake of the German film of the same name by Fritz Lang M (1931), the plot of which was based on real events - the case of serial killer Peter Kürten from Düsseldorf. In a modern interpretation of the series moved to Vienna. Background: In different parts of the capital have disappeared several little girls. The police are doing everything possible to find the children. But when their bodies are discovered, this terrible event somehow becomes a real "gift" for the yellow newspapers and tabloids. We both know how the press can inflate a scandal to universal proportions in hours. Around the horrible murder, journalists are delighted to organize "wild dances on the bones", inflaming the situation, sowing panic and terror among the population. Such "lawlessness" turns out to be in the hands of the Minister of Internal Affairs. The politician uses the fear of the citizens for his own purposes, imposing his own rules of the game, as the police and the inhabitants of Vienna.
My applause, Mr. Schalco! Such a grotesque clearly deserves the attention of fans of smart movies. From the first shots you are drawn by the strange atmosphere of the series, and you can not say with certainty, whether it is a feature film or a TV show. The events unfold slowly, intact with the snowflakes, which rotate in the air to the classical music of Edward Grieg "In the cave of the mountain king" ("Per Gynt"). If you're in the mood for a thrash, dark series about a bloodthirsty pedophile maniac...forget it.
The author's idea is more subtle and deep. The kidnapping of girls is just a background, in order to once again "poking the nose of the strength of this world" and show where the Europeans have gone with their tolerance and political correctness. What "bottom" has reached the society, where such a terrible event does not cause sympathy or regret in anybody, but only is "food" for news channels, dirty gossip and "tool" for political intrigues and manipulations. Cynicism and the realities of the modern world ("my hut on the brink" as long as it doesn't concern my loved one) cause a sense of "little shock," and you really refuse to believe that the world is so "crazy. How elegantly David Shalko brings the viewer to a "boiling point," showing the mourning parents, the "queen" of prostitutes, homeless people and beggars, and the ambitious young politician on the screen. Disgrace, close-ups, ellipses, pauses, unexpected accents. And the trial of the murderer! This is the same fairy tale of sarcasm and irony. The only thing that does not go beyond the genre of "European detective" - the presence of two ridiculous investigators, because without a couple of creepy detectives European detective, not a detective).
However, for all my delights, it is worth admitting that the series is not easy, not all will be able to cope and appreciate. That's probably why the series has such a low rating. The new and "incomprehensible" are always treated with caution, with a huge amount of distrust. It is a pity.
Last year, Christian Alvarat "ravaged the beehive" by the Berlin Dogs (Dogs of Berlin), this year David Shalko and M-killer. However, there is one mega-difference. Alvarat did not ceremony and dumped the whole truth-mother in the forehead and without decoration, and Shalko did it gracefully and ornately. But the essence of the question, it does not change.
I radically disagree with the rating! M-killer deserves at least eight!
Country: Austria, Germany.
The IMDb rating is 5, 6.
2. The Widow is a detective story about how Georgia went beyond the three or nine lands to find her dead husband. The news of her husband's death in a plane crash in Congo hit Georgia. She shut herself up, separated herself from her friends, moved into the wilderness to mourn and accept the sudden loss of a loved one. And three years later, on TV, in one of the reports on the riots in Kinshasa (the capital of Congo), she saw with her own eyes alive and healthy husband. Georgia went to the Congo to find out where she was - was she wrong, or did her husband really survive a plane crash?
Just as I expected, the movie went so wrong. The general impression of "predictability", "duty" and "incredible luck GG" does not leave you for a minute of "airtime" of the show. For the sake of justice, I admit, there are a couple of absolute surprises in the series, which surprised me and pleased me, but they were unable to "make" the series. Somehow everything turns out well for the heroine. Someone is killed around, GG is constantly threatened, she gets stuck in terrible trouble ... and not a scratch on it! How so? I wish I could break my knee somewhere, for decency, or something. Remember, I wrote in the New TV series in March that "for the lady to be credible, she must have some basic skills as a fighter, agent, cop to fit into the local "flavor" and jungle of the Congo"? You'll be laughing, but Georgia is a former British Army soldier in the story. Oh, how! She had never been on the battlefields ("rear rat"), but she said that she had undergone basic military training. You have to admit, this is something. Therefore, one can believe that she knows what she's doing when she's running through the jungle with a rifle on top.
I'd like to point out that Kate Beckinsale (The Other World, Van Helsinki) and Alex Kingston (Witch's Discovery, Alpha Dog) coped with the roles. It's nice to look at them. But two fragile women can't do the mission of "play like a goddess and make a legend out of a second-grade series. So, girls, you're good, everything else was beyond your control.
Shall we sum up? If you want to do something useful, one eye looking at the screen, where the muttering movie, the Widow is suitable for this, as best as possible (I was under her on the simulator, just for a week). Or there is nothing more to see, and I do not recommend to spend eight hours of your time purposefully. Very simple series.
Country: Great Britain.
Rating: 7.0.
Year: 2019.