Better Late Then Never

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Blistering performances.

The series in question has brought forth a lot of ambivalent thoughts and feelings for me. On the one hand, its course of events and many actors (particularly Max Riemelt as Marek Gorsky, Alina Levshin as Jelena, Mark Ivanir as Andrej) met my eye from the first episode, but many clichés about Russians and their comprehensions (vodka, noisy parties, corruption), as well as a lot of broken Russian uttered made the watching complex at times. Moreover, I felt sometimes that some scenes became too scattered and/or were intended to fill out the total length, but still... I could still imagine that for general audience, for them not knowing Russian and without direct contacts with Russia and its people, Im Angesicht des Verbrechens is a captivating and skilfully accomplished creation about the life in contemporary Berlin where the diversity accompanied by immigrants and tourists is not always a benefit, when "old" locals have to cope with new type of business and management methods. The thrill is there, the love is there, the violence is there, and all this was masterfully combined into a story with several twists and turns, with comic and tragic elements included. So, despite the shortcomings mentioned above, I still give 8 points, i.e. trying to "forget" my background and time of youth, confirming that I have become a full Westerner... :)

'Im Angesicht des Verbrechens' is without a doubt one of the best German shows in quite some time, which is not saying much, though, considering the abysmal quality of recent German TV programming. Amidst all of the dreck 'Im Angesicht des Verbrechens' distinguishes itself with a good story, a variety of good characters, and a general ambition, which is very refreshing, even if it's not always lived up to.The show is quite well written, but ultimately let down by sub-par editing and various stylistic missteps. I can overlook those up to a degree, but they constantly overshadowed an otherwise decent show.Also, while there are some good actors at work, some of the less important roles are played by lesser actors. Way too often I found my attention diverted because the characters would speak so unnaturally. Many of them over-pronounce their words, and it felt like they were reading their lines instead of acting them out. The script is also guilty of underestimating the viewers' intelligence and feeling the need to spell out every single thing. The show would tell you about things instead of showing them. Too often we would be shown a flashback of something we'd already seen at least twice, when it gets mentioned in a new episode. A little trust in the viewers' ability to remember those scenes would be greatly appreciated.However, with all those negatives mentioned, 'Im Angesicht des Verbrechens' is still a very good show, telling an interesting story in a mostly well-done way. It's good, but just falls short of being great for a variety of reasons, most of which could have easily been avoided. It's still the best German TV show for quite some time, apart from KDD- Kriminaldauerdienst.

It has been called the „German Twin Peaks" (considering the appeal it might have on its audience) by acclaimed journalists, "Hollywood made in Germany" declared others. Maybe those comments came out of a deep longing for good productions, that have sadly been missing from local TV screens for quite some time.But maybe all that praise comes from the simple fact, that it is – indeed – brilliant: The breadth of narration, the sheer number of speaking parts and motifs and the overall worthwhileness make it essential viewing for anyone.In its 450 minutes it comes as a study of underworld shenanigans in Germany's capital, not shying away from showing all that scum that Travis Bickle would want to have washed away by the rain. And then at once it is a buddy flick, dealing with two upcoming cop's ambition to make the big catch. Only that one of them (Marek) wants to find the murderer of his brother, who himself was once attached to organized crime, which gives "Im Angesicht des Verbrechens" its general setting.And the creators do so while finding a good balance between the locations, the mood and the characters involved.But maybe the biggest strength of this series lies in finding an emotional backing by the story of Marek and Jelana (a young Russian that has been lured to Berlin in the prospect of a good job and finding her big love, only to been sold a prostitute) that encompasses the series' and its protagonists' dilemma in carrying out one's duty whilst handling your personal incentives.I do not even try to come near to listing all story arcs and themes. Just find out yourself.Yes, German TV is alive!