You won't be disappointed!

Touches You

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

I highly recommend Zen, an offering of PBS's Masterpiece Contemporary series, which originally aired in 2011. Based upon the late Michael Dibdin's novel, three ninety-minute episodes were created.Get past the initial "Mr. Cool" physical persona of its protagonist, the excellent actor Rufus Sewell - and dig the witty, understated dialog and delivery; the excellent cast; the delicious locations; the whole damn vibe.Ironically, Sewell found a perfect role for himself in Aurelio Zen: PBS soon however had a change of management and the series went poof into the Strata of Lost Entertainment Excellence – at least the show is in good company. It's our loss that there were no more episodes (in a spooky way the third episode ended with a perfect moment). "Vendetta", "Cabal" and "Ratking" are available on DVD, likely headed to becoming an overpriced cult item. Enjoy.

I've just watched the third episode on ABC in Australia and I'm kicking myself that I missed the first two. What a great series. I can't believe the BBC canned it. Great story, characters, pace, had me thinking and trying to keep up with what the inscrutable Zen was doing. Sad that there won't be anymore.I've just watched the third episode on ABC in Australia and I'm kicking myself that I missed the first two. What a great series. I can't believe the BBC canned it. Great story, characters, pace, had me thinking and trying to keep up with what the inscrutable Zen was doing. Sad that there won't be anymore.

I think everything has already been said in the above reviews about this series of three 90 minute episodes. Its a stylish, beautifully shot,well acted,classy piece of entertainment, with fairly decent story lines with Rome as the backdrop. Though i haven't watched the third instalment i felt the second 'Cabal' was a definite improvement on the first 'Vendetta' which i thought was slightly preposterousNo, it won't appeal to everyone, think of it as Bergerac with style, it has an upbeat Midsommer Murders pace to it.Like someone has said, it bucks the current trend of hard nosed police dramas, and it works, give it a try. You might just be pleasantly surprised like i was.Some might condemn this as escapist TV but what's wrong with that? we all need to get away sometimes so why not summer in Rome, i can't think of a nicer place.

Welcome to the Italian Tourist Board production of some detective story or other. In the series you will see shimmering silhouettes of Rome, hear the chirp of cicadas in the midday sun and marvel at rolling scenes of pine forests and classical architecture - but as for everything else?I seem to be in a small minority (so far) of those who found this TV series profoundly disappointing. Perhaps it was because I read the books when they first came out and therefore have a clear picture in my mind of the Zen I was expecting. But no, clearly the original plots and characters were not good enough for the producers.Surely someone could have found either real Italians or at least people capable of putting on a good Italian accent? As it was, we needed to see the 'Questura di Roma' sign every 5 minutes just to remind viewers that we had not space-shifted into some English regional police station where people apparently have nothing useful to do.Zen - well he must be Italian, mustn't he, with his designer sunglasses and snazzy suits? And Tania, like all good Italian police workers, dressed to the nine in high heels. And everyone, but everyone, appears to live in some palatial dwelling. Where is the real Rome, the noisy, bustling, chaotic city which never sleeps, where crossing every road is to take your life in its hands? Italian arguments are wonderful and terrifying experiences (as well as being everyday) - here they turn into bizarre parodies which never quite get anyone's blood boiling. Shouting is not arguing!My main criticism, however, is connected with the characters and with their dialogue. There was not a single person in the series with whom one could identify or empathise. Characters and dialogues were all two-dimensional and flat. How could anyone possibly believe in the dynamics of the police station, of the relationship between Zen and his mother, between Zen and Fabbri, his bosses and even the bad guys? Everyone looked as though they were reading their lines for the first time off an autocue. Frankly, I could not get engrossed in a single episode, whereas the books were gripping.So in summary if you have not read any of the books and would like a two-dimensional and unconvincing romp through lovely Italian scenery, fine, but otherwise find something more gripping and convincing. Wallander it certainly isn't, in any of his incarnations.