The Hunter

A fiction tale based on historical events in Palermo, Italy which draws out the atrocities of the Mafia at the time, and how Italian prosecutors drawn by an unwavering sense of justice, but also a sense of thrill, attempt to bring down the Corleone family. The film is both raw and direct. The killings, brutal. I loved it.

In a sentence this is by far the best of maybe half a dozen recent TV series following the fight-against organised crime in Sicily, beginning around the time of (in this instance, shortly after) the assassinations of legendary lawmen Falcone and Borsellino. It is also, hands-down, one of the best crime shows from anywhere in recent years.

The Hunter (Il Cacciatore) is exemplary for its attention to 'historical' detail and mood, for its nuanced script which makes no one too heroic or Bond villain-bad (though there be monsters here a-plenty). The acting is almost all great, the action scenes are terrific, the settings, of course, to die for. Where is it all going? Well we know that the power of the Corleonese Mafia was greatly reduced in the period covered by this show (mid '90s onwards), so it's not surprise but authenticity and character that is needed to keep you watching, and The Hunter provides both in spades. High-level drama, convincing and largely intelligible familial relations and complications, and at least one complex (i.e. Flawed) 'hero' on a mission to take Sicily back from those who've stolen it, all make this a TV series not to be missed. Even where the personal narrative seems to be about to follow a too-obvious turn, the writers do something interesting and unexpected (for instance avoiding a long-drawn-out show-down between central character and his nemesis in favour of a new development in the main story, something Hollywood almost never has the courage to do). Add to all of this the often inspired slow-reveal exposition of essential details in place of easy summaries and you have a show (first season at least) which makes others look predictable and clumsy in comparison. Highly recommended.

This Italian series tells of the war against the Cosa Nostra in the 1990s; in particular the hunt for Leoluca Bagarella, a senior Mafioso and his associates and a child they are believed to have kidnapped. Saverio Barone, a young prosecutor recently recruited to the Anti-Mafia squad, is among those leading the hunt; a hunt he becomes obsessed with. He is partnered with Carlo Mazza, a more experienced prosecutor. Over the course of the first series we see events from the perspective of these prosecutors; Bagarella and his associates, most notably his driver Tony.

I really enjoyed the first season of this series and hope the second becomes available here soon. The tone is understandably fairly bleak... anybody hoping for the fun of Sicily based crime drama 'Inspector Montalbano' will be sorely disappointed! The series doesn't shy away from showing Mafia crimes; there are some fairly gruelling scenes of torture and murder and as hunt for the boy drags on for months and years with him chained up and his chance of survival not that great there is a sense of bleakness. The opening of each episode reminds us that this is based on real events, but with details changed for dramatic purposes; this helps keep the viewer on edge, especially if like me you don't know how the real story ends. The cast does a really impressive job bringing their characters to life... not 'larger than life'; the Mafiosi are shown as fairly ordinary people who happen to be violent criminals rather than obviously evil villains, which explains why they aren't easily caught. Overall I'd certainly recommend this.

These comments are based on watching the series in Italian with English subtitles.

You hear stories about this Italian mafia and those who tried and sometimes dies trying to stop their activities. Really enjoyed this textured portrayal of both sides. Looking forward to season 2.

Great Sicilian mafia series There's two seasons so far but they only have one season available on Amazon . From the first episode on it seems like the characters keep on growing and the episodes get better . Very good story .