Genres

Visitors Review

hkramb-1 2012-05-26 00:54:34

AMC can do no wrong

I had to watch this twice, the two hour premiere that is. I think whatstruck me most was the calm and slow storytelling. When TV is drowningin unrealistic CSI's et al (where investigators cook up fingerprints totechno music in dimly lit rooms), every time we pass a CSI on channelsurfing my husband always says 'don't they ever turn on the freakinlights in that office?' and we both laugh.This is police work as it really is, plodding, unexciting, procedural,a lot of driving, mixed with a bit of clever intuition, slammin good.Every character is a suspect, the story can go anywhere, so promising.If anyone was worried about the state of the serialized TV drama goingtoo far down the f-word/porn route, all arguments that onlysubscription HBO or Showtime dramas were good bc they used nudity orcursing bc 'that's how real life is'...this is yet another AMC showthat shuts them all up. Don't get me wrong, I love my Trueblood andhuge fan of Sopranos et al, but this show isn't a 'guilty pleasure',its just a pleasure.

Movies Buff 2012-05-25 21:42:34

Surprisingly awesome adaptation! Thumbs up on the production

First I thought it's just like Twin Peaks wannabe - started with lotsof clues and looked promising and then died out of surprises and twistsafter a few episodes. But then, I got hooked on it after 45 mins of the show .... it's notlame, it's intelligent and characters have depths and realpersonalities. The story stayed focus all the way, while regress fromtime to time to talk about the main characters' stories. It beats Dexter, Mad Men (except Season 1), Breaking Bad, ... all thehyped up TV dramas. I've seen Norwegian, Swedish movies before like The Girl with DragonTattoos, Let the Right One In, Cargo, Antibodies, Frosbitten, ... whilesome of them are a lil Hollywood (probably for marketing needs). Thisone is for mature audience. Lots of twists & turns without the teenagedramas. Very very good show. Can't wait to see the original version and season2! Good work!

damens 2012-05-24 17:18:45

Awful remake

Terrible, poorly acted (actually with this many bad performances it islikely the director/s are primarily to blame), often nonsensicalversion of the original. Written FOR Americans too stupid and lazy toread subtitles, written BY Americans lazy enough to make it a virtualcopy (which at least I could accept), but then too stupid to not"improve" (read "destroy") random scenes and dialog, such that the plotno longer makes sense and character motivation is lessened or renderedinexplicable. Truly a pointless (other than garnering money for thestudio/network) remake; though I guess that accusation could be leveledat virtually any remake, some of them do manage to improve on theoriginal, or provide a different perspective, or at least attempt notto sully what made the original good enough for a remake to beconsidered - this is not one of them.

Ted Gianopulos 2012-05-24 01:06:58

Finally! A cure for Insomnia!

I used to read to try to get to sleep at night, but now I can justwatch any episode of this highly over-rated show and be out like a comavictim in record time! Great job producers! Finally there's a show witha story that moves as quick as grass grows with a cast of nobodies thatI could not care less about even if I was paid for it! The smartestthing you guys did was to cast a girl as the lead who is literallydifficult to look at because she is so unattractive and lacks even therudimentary basics from Acting 101! Smart thinking. The only thinksalvageable about this excruciatingly mundane waste of airtime is thedrugged out partner who is equivalent to the Jessie character inBreaking Bad. Although surrounded by monotony, he is interesting towatch. Many thanks on getting me off my addiction to Ambien! I sleeplike a rock now. Keep me posted on the new show you guys have comingout about paint drying! Maybe you can integrate the two shows! Just anidea.

ronniepmillar 2012-05-22 22:13:46

Not as good as the original Danish version

I watched the Danish version and thought that this version may bebetter because there would be no subtitles, but alas it was a poorimitation. Somehow this version lost a lot of the tension which was akey feature in the original Danish version. Also in general the actingwasn't as good, however the detective Sarah was the best actor in theseries. It was not as nail biting or addictive as the Danish versionand so I didn't continue to watch the whole series. Anyone who hasn'twatched the original should make an effort to see it. It is great incomparison. It's a pity but this is a very disappointing copy of a goodstory!!!!

knucklebreather 2012-05-22 16:19:52

Promising

"The Killing" is an adaptation of a Danish TV series, and was billed tome as "Twin Peaks meets 24". Well it certainly does seem like anupdated "Twin Peaks" so far, minus some of the bizarre twists andturns. Not that there's anything wrong with that,beautiful-girl-murdered is a time-tested premise that makes for a goodcrime drama.In the first two episodes I was relieved to find some serious, qualitytelevision. The story isn't terribly remarkable - so far we know that apretty typical teen girl has been murdered, that her parents aregenuinely crushed with grief, and that the detective who caught thecase, Sarah Linden, was due to leave the job and move to San Diego toget married had the case not come up.The story is told with impressive direction and good enough writing,with plenty of details and realism to hook in most viewers. Like anygood mystery, the introduction simply raises questions, and gets theviewer to care about what's going on. Mission accomplished.The music is a bit hokey, drifting into melodrama at times, but that'sthe only real fault I can find. This is a fine start. It seems unlikelyto dethrone "The Wire" as a pinnacle of realism but it's already betterthan any crime drama the networks have going. I'm looking forward tothe next episode.

soupster1 2012-05-22 01:09:06

Superb television.

I intended to watch the original Danish version... but the copy I gothold of didn't have subtitles. My Danish was far too rusty (Jeg harglemt naesten alt!), so I started the US version instead.American drama is rightly lauded for the quality of it's output overrecent years. The Sopranos, The West Wing etc... etc...This series is of similarly high quality, but has an additional 'buzz'for me... and that is that it revisits 'Twin Peaks' This is not acriticism. I welcome it.I have nothing 'clever' to say, no production values to explore... andno juvenile views on the attractiveness of the female actors. Theseries achieves the remarkable feat of doing justice to the Danishoriginal, while celebrating one of Americas finest achievements in TV.I won't bang on about "superb this" and "superb that"... suffice tosay, If you like riveting telly... this is a treat.

dmmillers 2012-05-21 03:40:14

The Killing- Good Start. Slow Middle.Poor Finish.No Future.

I was engrossed for a full 12 episodes plus 45 minutes of the finaleagerly anticipated installment, only for the climax to render all myprevious assumptions about the quality of the production, completelyobsolete. I found the conclusion to be amateurish in the extreme, andruthlessly exploitative and irresponsible to any dedicated follower ofthe genre. I felt thoroughly abused by the absurdity of the illconceived plot twist at the end. And I felt the finale went againstwhat is acceptable in terms what is plausible and acceptable, withinthe realm of modern televisual fiction. The only consolation is that Iwon't waste a minute on any future series.

pawebster 2012-05-19 13:36:02

Hamburger good but Danish better

It's pretty good, although I've only seen two episodes so far.Nevertheless I can't help wondering why they bothered. The original wasso original - and gripping - that I can't see why a remake was needed.For those who can't be bothered to read subtitles? Apart from that, thesnag is that we have all seen hundreds of American cop shows. This is agood one, admittedly, but we know the genre pretty well in general. TheDanish version on the other hand showed us a world that most of usdidn't know at all, a world which came over as slightly eerie, and thatwas a big factor in its charm. Also, Soren Malling as Jan Meyer was abetter, more subtle, sidekick than the pot-smoking McKenzie Crooklookalike that we have here.Maybe I'm being a bit unfair. For anyone who knows no different, thiswill probably seem an excellent series that's well worth watching.

ivko 2012-05-19 11:48:06

Dark and brilliantly introspective.

When I was twenty-four, I was the foreman for the jury of a murdertrial. There was plenty of evidence, including eye witness testimony,that indicated the young man's guilt. After two days of deliberationsand endless discussions, we voted to convict. On our way out of thecourtroom, I remember distinctly the high spirits we were all in. Wehad done our job as citizens. We had helped take a bad man off thestreets. We helped get justice for a murdered individual. There were alot of smiles and handshakes and back-pats. Then on the way out wepassed the convicted man's eight-month-along pregnant wife. She wassitting, alone, on a bench outside the courtroom, sobbing. Theimplications of our decision for her and that unborn child hit me allat once as we passed. I wasn't smiling anymore; none of us were. Thething is, I still believe we did the right thing. It was our job tovote on the evidence and that's what we did. But even so, I'd be lyingif I said I slept soundly that night.The reason I mention that long-winded story is to illustrate a point.Real life is messy. Even when we make what we truly believe are the"right" decisions we don't always feel all that good about them.Sometimes to do what we think is right we end up hurting, albeitunintentionally, someone else. Even worse, sometimes we hurt someonedoing what we think is right and then find out later that we werewrong. And that, as Aristotle would say, just plain sucks.But it is the imperfect, wonderful world we all live in. Which bringsme to AMC's fantastic 'The Killing'. A Danish import, 'Killing' followsthe murder investigation of young woman in Seattle, Washington. Thestory is told in thirteen 1 hour episodes through the perspectives ofthe people whose lives are impacted by the murder and subsequentinvestigation, with special emphasis on lead investigator Sarah Linden(played picture-perfect by Mireille Enos). Amazingly, despite a fairlylarge cast, there is nary a flat character to be found. All the playersare fleshed out, fully realized people with deep complexity andback-story. This allows the show to rise above a simple whodunit policeprocedural and really delve into just what a murder means to the peoplein the victim's life. It is alternately dark and gritty, inspirational,and heart breaking to watch these people cope with the loss and fearthat surrounds this girls murder.And that brings me back to my original point. The reason I love thisshow so much is because, unlike the many many many police proceduralsout there, it is no fairy tale with all the bad guys punished and goodguys victorious. It makes you wallow in the mud with the characters,encouraging you to feel all the frustration and confusion that theyfeel. It makes you want what they want, only to remind you that evengood people and good decisions have consequences that are far less thanideal. This is the kind of show that you think about after it's over,asking yourself if you would have done this or that differently. Butthat deeply unsettled feeling you get is the digestive price you payfor such a rich, not-written-for-kids storyline, and is so worth it.There is really nothing quite like it on TV right now; I highlyrecommend it.

Mike Boyd 2012-05-18 23:16:44

Who Cares What The Danish Version Was Like - This Is Great!

I'm not Danish. I don't speak Danish. Is Danish a language? I don'tknow, but I think it must be. But I really don't care how good or badthe Danish version was. Judging by some of the comments here, theDanish version must be up for a handful of Emmys, Golden Globes orwhatever it is that they give out in Denmark.I really don't care. And I really don't like the pseudo-intellectualstelling me that this version is such a poor copy of the original.As far as I am concerned, this is a great show. I watched the wholeseries in 3 sittings - 5 episodes, 5 episodes and then the rest. Icouldn't stop. The only part that I didn't find too enthralling waswhen detective Linden's son went AWOL. Pretty boring, in fact. Butmaybe the Danish version made that somehow more exciting! And I personally can't wait for the second season to get going.

monty4018 2012-05-18 11:08:11

Compelling plot moves too slow

A compelling story who's main plot is the solving of a young highschool girls killing. The sub plots are: 1. Personal struggles ofDetective Sarah Linden and son with pending marriage and relocation. 2.Conflict with new partner Stephen Holder 3. Political impacts ofkilling to campaign for mayor by Darren Richmond 4. Emotional turmoilof parents of killing victim. This sub-plot may evolve after episode 4the father seems to have had a "shady" past.The only criticism that I would offer is the plot is moving at apainfully slow pace I would suggest writers to drop the lead detectivespersonal life and the political subplots to speed up the story. Thisshow reminds me of a canceled show called Rubicon which was interestingbut too slow also.

Cedric_Catsuits 2012-05-17 06:21:31

Why?

The Danish original was stylish, haunting, gripping, realistic,superbly acted, beautifully shot, and had soul. This scene for scenecopy has none of those things, so why bother making it?Within about 20 seconds of the opening it became clear that nobodyinvolved in this understands how to create tension and draw theaudience in.Mireille Enos in the lead role is so different to Sofie Gråbøl, withlittle of the talent or charisma of the Danish star. Not her fault ofcourse, but nobody who has seen the original will be happy with thisperformance.In truth, each of the main players here is inferior to their Danishcounterpart. It smacks of shoddiness and cost-cutting. I can't possiblyrecommend this - watch the original instead.

andy-109-738550 2012-05-16 21:55:00

Awful sub standard copy

Having been engrossed by the Danish version recently in the UK Isomehow knew that an Americanised (Canadianised?) version was reallynot going to be as good. I could not even guess that it would be as badas this. Thankfully in the UK we got 2 episodes back to back for 10weeks. I have recoded the first 3 of this version and have just startedto watch the first episode. The scene for scene copies, the tap(faucet?) scene, the watch, etc were so cringe makingly bad, the actingwas embarrassingly appalling, it was just dire. I have got as far asthe first ad break and I really do not think I am going to go anyfurther with this. How it scores 8.0 on IMDb is completely beyond me.If you have not yet started to watch this series avoid it at all costs,watch the Danish original (do subtitles not go down well in the US orwherever the high scorers are from?).

mbanat 2012-05-16 12:24:11

What a cop-out

The Killing was a waste of 13 hours of my life. The original premiseseemed like a good idea. That is as far as it went. The female lead wasa very plain off beat woman. No glamorous distractions. The suggestedrealism by casting a lead like Mireille Enos (Odd looking. No charm),lead me to believe that the producers were trying for a slice of reallife. Real life on the dark side. Ditto with the lead character'spolice partner. Joel Kinnaman is the male equivalent of his co-star.Not handsome, off-beat and charmless. This could have all worked outquite well in stressing the realism credentials for the series, if onlythe writers had bothered to deliver a coherent, well thought outscripted series. What they delivered was a grab bag of tired clichés,red herrings and dead ends. The final episode with Richmond about to bekilled by Belko and Holder appearing to be part of a conspiracy, wasjust another of the dull cliff hanger episodes we were subjected toduring the rest of the season. As a finale, it was a complete washout.I won't be watching next season. If you don't want to waste your time,I suggest that you give it a big miss as well.

santoute 2012-05-16 02:37:59

outstanding..keep coming for more

love it, considering me and my husband are series freaks, we finished"revenge" , "boss" and all others, so for the spar time, I asked him todownload the series, might be interesting, especially when i sawreviews and the title somehow bears the same line as twin peaks laurapalmer, We were not very excited seeing that the rating is only 7.9 onIMDb but wanted to give it a try anyway.. episode 1, TOTALLY HOOKED,amazing, every episode has a twist, keeps you on your feet and makingyou want to come back for more, watching the series in a one whole day,doing nothing but trapped in front of f the TV.. love the charactersvery well picked, mireille enos is brilliant, her facial expressions,her attitude and the intelligence is amazing.. i gave it a 10 rating,simply because the plot is very well done, story-line amazing, notcheesy at all and I would rate it the same as dexter and damages..Can't wait for season 2, I am not sure if it will same adaptation as inthe Danish version but who cares, producers knew very well how to grabaudience.. which makes me rethink and doubt somehow the rating of someseries on IMDb.. you have to watch it, sooo addictive... very well doneAMC!! I am not sure why people were angry with the season final, thisis how good series are , twists, keep you thinking, analyzing.. ifpeople don't expect that than they better watch movies instead, whatmakes series interesting is that when a season finished , you wouldwanna smash the TV for answers!! at least that is my opinion and manyshare the same..

badajoz-1 2012-05-14 15:49:50

Far Too Poor a copy of original

Having avidly followed the original Danish version, I can say the USversion is very much second best. It started out very faithfully, whichof course meant it was rather boring for those of us who had followedthe original. the only real difference being the new sidekick cop, whowas so 'methody and twitchy' that he became unwatchable!! Theover-emphasis on the teacher/moslem storyline completely unbalanced theprogression of the series and various (admittedly not all successfulred herrings) of the original subplots got ditched to the detriment ofthis version. We had the rain and misery in spades and the mother/sonrelationship overegged to the nth degree (get over the Spielbergianconvolutions of family, please America!). I stopped watching in themiddle and came back at the end perfectly able to keep up - not a goodsign! The ending was absolutely ridiculous - hey, we can get a secondseries out of this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - and totally unbelievable - yetanother unseen figure in a car manipulating a shock cliff hanger - ooh!And what was worse, leading ladies on US TV have to get thinner andmore groomed as a series becomes more successful, so the main lead goesprancing around in more figure-hugging stuff!!! who to blame - thedanish for being still in control, or the US writers sticking to thebland conventions of their small minded TV values? Remember we did notget the dead girl working as a hostess in a bar, or the fact that shewas in love with another moslem!!! Or did I miss it? Go back to theoriginal.

sraines321 2012-05-14 03:00:31

AMC gives viewers what they deserve, a true, poetic and gritty story

Once along time ago, movies could mean something. They did not have tobe action packed or filled with porn or language. Films such as TheBicycle Thief and Citizen Kane or The Grapes of Wrath. These moviesshowed out as there own and became classics, but then that was lost tospecial effects and movies and TV shows such as 'True Blood' 'Saw' and'twilight' and many more came along and people are turned away from theclassics. Now only the TRUE bold people can leave away from what everyone wants and give them what they deserve, a true, poetic, story, thatis where AMC stands. I don't know weather it was the part where Lindonsees the pink bike in the garage and puts two and two together, or whenthe mom listens on the phone to her husbands cries at the police, orwhen one of Rosey's brother tells the other one that they will neversee Rosey again because she is dead. Or maybe when the mom hearsRosey's voice on the answering machine, or when she tries to drownherself to fell what Rosy felt. I felt the emotions too and I havenever felt dragged into a show ever before. I would like to see'Spartacus' do that (which it did not)

ma1525 2012-05-13 21:59:09

Excellent adaption of a great original!!

Having watched the Danish original "Forbrydelsen" it was with greatanticipation and some apprehension that I finally got to see theAmerican adaption to this outstanding and huge successful drama. I wasboth surprised and amazed. "The Killing" has managed to maintain thesomber and somewhat dark ambiance of the original while stillincorporating enough elements to make the current version plausible.Kudos to the cast of this version which has kept the integrity of theoriginal and so far, it looks every bit as good as I could have hoped.Although the plot takes its time to unfold, it's well worth the wait.Soon you will be trying to guess who killed the beautiful High Schoolstudent and realize that nothing is as it seems, each episode offeringa different perspective (and suspect) until the tantalizing conclusion.Get hooked!! ;)

sevenof400 2012-05-13 00:46:12

A great three episode show...

...that has been stretched out far too long. It seems as if the writersmust have had a contest to see how many characters or story lines theycould include and the over / under is around 500. In the businessworld, there is a theory that postulates that for most workers, theavailable work will fill the available time. The writing and producingstaff of The Killing seem to have used this same theory when writingand producing the episodes for this show. Too bad someone with reviewauthority didn't streamline this series a bit. It is a series worthwatching but you will feel like the pace of this show is far too slow. I am amused by those people who are citing the dark aspects of thisshow. Scenes filled with rain shot at night do not make a series dark.If you want a dark series, consider watching Millennium (also shot inthe same general area) - a series which really delved into the darkaspects of human behavior.I don't want to leave you with the impression that The Killing is badviewing - it clearly isn't. It just meanders along far too slowly to beconsidered anymore than average television.