Mirage - Gefährliche Lügen

... there are the-good-guys & the-bad-guys... & they are both equally important to-a-good-production... this series got the-good-guys-right, but has come up well short on-the-bad-side... those-guys-gals ya-just-luv to-hate... season-two..??

First of all, I can't believe some reviewers complain that the protagonists are in their 50s. How old was Tom Cruise or Daniel Craig when they made their last action film? Or is it only an issue when an actress is the protagonist? Marie-Josee Croze was perhaps 48 when she made _Mirage_, and a stunning 48 at that. More importantly, she is still an amazing and mercurial actress, born to play highly compromised women.

The first episode of this miniseries is extremely well shot. The overhead shots, swirling camera motion, the tsunami seen as a reflection in a window superimposed on a disbelieving Croze, are all excellent. Later on the directing gets bogged down in the thriller plot-twists and increasingly relies on hand-held (like "24"), but once in a while there are still well composed, stunning images. And the Abu Dhabi skyline is always an eye candy. I assume the producers get a lot of concessions from the UAE government. The series mostly avoids criticism of UAE, presenting it as a Westernize seaside paradise. It takes pains to depict the police as mostly good guys, half of whom are women who do their own driving!

Unlike "24", but like most European espionage films these days, the subject matter is industrial spying, not terrorism. Too bad the writing is mediocre at best. (Compare this with another Canadian-European coproduction called "Thanksgiving.") The two male protagonists are jerks, but usually jerks have a tiny bit of charisma. As for the villains, they are not just uncharismatic; they are among the worst marksman ever seen. The main reason to see "Mirage" is the ever young and unpredictable Croze draped in head scarves, or cocking her head forward like a panther ready to pounce. It would so much better if she is cast as the presumed-dead spouse and spy. She has been wonderful in revenge films (_Another Silence_) and in conflicted roles set in the Middle East (_Collision_, _The Forgiven_).

Clive Standen's eyes are too close together and that's about the best thing I can say about this mess! As another reviewer said, the main chick, who is supposed to have a high-powered job seems never to be at work, the son is a pouting little oik and everyone else is surplus to requirements. His Aussie accent is passable.

Frankly, I started way it without any expectation. Just the storyline seemed intriguing. I know there are some plot holes, but considering the budget and production house it's pretty decent outcome. Stars gave solid performance, the locations were eye catching. Story of global corporate espionage ring added with a long lost love interest added the spice that was needed to carry the show.

Might not be a HBO/Netflix/Prime production standard but considering everything, it was decent. May be more than decent! Figure it out !

Short punchy 6 part mini series with a bit of mix off everything. Defintely worth watching