GuiltyJames

I am an english teacher at a private school in Istanbul. You can say I'm a long term tourist in a beautiful country. I lived through the events of July 15th 2016. It was an extremely dangerous and polarizing night when against all odds the democratically elected government and the brave security forces won against the shadowy conspiracy of an Khomeini-like cleric and their faction within the military and the police.

This film is about that second group of people. It is a peek into that night when patriotic police and soldiers went through great ordeals to protect against a modern putsch that Turkey might not have survived at all.

The film itself is well acted, action packed and full of triple-A visuals which are an absolute delight considering cinema in Turkey is in its infancy when it comes to action. It is miles better than any in-house production Netflix ever came up with, while clearly being a fraction of the budget.

Even though almost everyone is familiar with the maverick Mr. Caglar who produced the film (I should know all my 12th grade English literature students are fanatics of his style), the two talented directors Emre and Ozduru who weave heart-pounding action and grim drama deserve props. The sublime musical composer Lincoln Jaeger is also world class here, as well as the cinematographer who lights a dark and foreboding urban Ankara where only the brave roam the streets of the putsch. Turks often have trouble relating their point of view to the western world. They have a tempestous love and hate relationship with the democracies of the Atlantic. But this film does and will appeal to the discerning international viewer who wants to enjoy a thrilling slice of the distressing night that Ataturk's republic almost fell.

Recep Ivedik is an example of cinematic parasitism. It is a product created solely to profit from as many people as possible by providing as little content as possible.

Outliving the sympathy generated by its humble beginnings, the series has become stale, endlessly recycling the same subject matter of a (once) lovable crude protagonist against the elite intelligentsia of the country. A mixture of slapstick and juvenile scat humor, it accomplishes nothing in the realm of comedy.

A crude, cheaply filmed waste of time which is a shame considering the brave and creative strides Turkish filmmaking has taken in recent years.

Technically embarrassing, this is one of those rare films which actually take an entire cinema industry backwards in progress. 2/10