Antidisturbios

Amazing, realistic series. When I thought it was going to be about random daily "adventures" of a bunch of riot policemen, it turned out a deep plot amazingly played by great actors, who portray with absolute realism the Spanish character and life.

Don't get me wrong, I quite like Spanish police series, on the whole. It's something that Spanish TV can do in a manner that passes for entertainment. Some of them are even pretty damn reasonable. However, they always have something that messes the whole thing up. At the moment I am two episodes in with this, so perhaps I am jumping the gun here. And, yes! A couple of things I could see coming from miles away. But, and it's a very important "but," this little series could wipe the floor with most Yank cop shows and even a couple of British ones. It seems slighlty reminiscent of Line of Duty but, so far, not as so completely unbelievable. I mean, given Spanish TV's record for gritty realism, this is quite an achievment. For exmaple, La Casa de Papel, as entertaining as it is, is complete and utter toss! Line of duty is pretty daft but it doesn't go in for the comedic antics of that show that wear thin after the first few episodes. I am really surprised that companies like Netflix, the BBC, HBO or even Amazon are not all over this. Truly brilliant! Hats off to everybody involved in this. To the makers of this show, by the way, do yoursleves a favour, sell this thing to some big expensive TV network. This should be much bigger than La Casa de Papel.

Are All Cops B....as the Stefano Sollima's film made in 2012 suggested? If you watch closely both films, the topics and directing skills are very close, very...If not nearly similar. The true and so realistic way to describe the inner life and issues which street cops meet in the modern world, so close to what we see each week here, in France, where it is always question of brutality and violence pulled against or by policemen in their duty. This pure jewel from Spain doesn't only emphasize on the police burden but also on the social and politics problems, such as poverty, migrants, bribery, corruption spreading everywhere. Yes, this is defintely a social drama, more than a crime. Acting, directing, screenplay, everything is terrific. The only little drawback I would mention is in the fifth episode. But I will describe it on this episode comment line. Read it....

I was 25 years as a " riot cop " and this TV series does a great job of showing how it is. Life on the van , the chaos of a violent hostile crowd, the confusion and questionable ethics involved in evictions , the stress of being under investigation, the impact on your home life, the comradeship and how it can all turn sour under pressure. Clearly the makers had input from serving or retired Police. Sure some things are exaggerated for dramatic effect but by and large this is nailed on. Great acting and also a fantastic soundtrack. I would highly recommend this TV series.

As Spaniard I can't be more proud about a mini series as I am with this one. First, acting is fantastic, raw and credible from all the cast. Only a few renowned actors on the cast but enough to make this one great. Second, the story is intense and interesting. This one is not your Hollywood standard script. It's twisted and interesting, from beginning to the end. On the other hand, I think it could have been great adding a second season, but it is what it is. So, overall close to a masterpiece.