The Oath

I wanted to like the show as its not set up like the generic Police shows, (it is an anti hero bad police show) and I could of liked it if they hadn't over done the shaky camera shots, to be honest at time it was more like watching a TV show in the middle of an earthquake. I believe as an earlier reviewer said they were trying imitate 'The Shield' going for gritty realism .The difference is in The Shield it was a real effect they had cameramen taking shots with hand held cameras. In The Oath they have used a tripod then created the effect in post production and they have over done it. There is also a problem with the amount of edits, they are constantly cutting from shot to shot. I get that they are trying to keep it fast paced but having so many edits takes away from the acting, it is a failure to show or give the actor the chance to act. So overall it had potential but it has been spoiled in post production

I watched this because it has a few actors that are on my watch list, but I found myself looking away. When will companies realise that the "reality" shaky camera work just doesn't add anything, and, actually detracts from an audience viewing and taking in what's happening. It actually looks as though the camera operator is deliberately shaking it. The editing also consists single shots of the camera panning up and down individuals, at various points, along with extreme close-ups. Honestly if this had good editing/camerawork it would get me hooked. Now it's just like watching an extremely bad found footage series albeit with good actors.

Despite the fact any connection to realism here will require a leap of faith, (regardless of the producers' statement at the start of each episode), and despite the fact the camera work can get a little annoying at times, and despite the fact it's a little slow to get going, (especially for Sean Bean fans), this is solid crime drama entertainment. Very well written. Great cast. More than enough well-crafted twisty turnabouts to sustain interest and keep predictability, (the bane of all cop show/crime serials), at bay. And a finale that skillfully sets up a season 2. This is my favorite Crackle original so far. Immensely bingeable. And the price is right. My only real complaint is the extremely graphic close quarters gunplay. I realize brain splitter is all the rage in this genre right now, but if it crosses the line into the gratuitous, it distracts from the overall quality of the project. Just saying'.

Who invented this shaky camera filming? He should be banned from filmmaking for the rest of her/his life. It is horrible and makes me a headache. This would have been so good with descent directing. Now it's awful.

I hope the show is fiction, because if it is true... Can't wait for season 3