Il cacciatore

I have binge watched both seasons and I really got sucked into the 90's in Sicily. I have never watched a mafia series that felt so authentic. In parallel I read the Wikipedia articles about the main characters which obviously added to the authentic experience. It is amazing with what ease people were killed in those times - times which aren't even long ago.

You have to overcome the first episode which appears a bit confusing, at least for foreigners. Also, after a while I started to fast forward parts of the flashbacks, which weren't bad but I was much more interested in the current events, i.e. The manhunt. I don't think I missed anything important.

Overall a really great series. Bravo, Italian TV!

Let me begin by saying that I am not one for usually writing reviews. Having said that, and after having seen the entire series, I feel compelled to share my thoughts. Let me begin by saying that this show treats the viewer with respect, both for their intelligence and their time. Unlike regurgitated puke-inducing American shows, this superlative Italian crime drama, absolutely redefines the genre. It is original, gripping, filled with nuances and intrigue, and never relinquishes control of the viewers attention. I cannot say enough good things about the level and maturity of the acting on display. It is such a breath of fresh air to find a show, albeit in another language, that brings to life a story and characters in the most lucid and thought provoking manner. 10 out of 10.

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.

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.

I did not know what to expect. It blew me away. Its about 1990's Mafia, and its shot in Palermo and the surrounding, has some really cool vintage cars, strong story, a great soundtrack and above all an amazingly good actors. The lead actor is just superb and the rest don't disapoint either. whay can I say.. ma ma mia