Hatufim: Prisonniers de guerre

The Israel series, Hatufim (Prisoners of War), which is all in Hebrew, is on DVD with English subtitles. It is one of the best TV dramas I have ever seen: tense, suspenseful, emotional, with superb acting and directing. Gritty and violent at times, wonderfully slow other times, and always dramatic; we usually wind up watching two episodes in a row. There are characters you like, others you don't, but you care about or are interested in all of them. The US version, Homeland, was taken from this Israeli original and is also excellently well done, but Hatufim is a lot different and stands entirely on its own; I think it's the better of the two. This powerful drama should be on everybody's watch list. A comment about the English subtitles: we found the same thing a reviewer on Amazon did -- the subtitles marked as English on the disc of season 2 (2012) for episodes 9-12 were only in Hebrew. On the advice of the seller, we tried the disc on our computer and (for reasons I cannot understand) the disc played with the English subtitles! The final episodes (13-14), like all the others except for that one disc, play fine on the DVD player.

This show is sublime. It isn't even worth comparing it to Homeland because there is no comparison. Aside from the fact that PoW was the original of the two, it doesn't focus on the agents, or the families, but instead points the spotlight at the captives and the way they deal with their release, and the subsequent emotional turmoil they have to go through whilst trying to integrate back into Israeli life.

In Homeland it was all about Carrie (the FBI agent) which meant Brody was totally forgotten about.

The English subtitles don't bother me at all, as I truly get lost in the emotion and drama of what is really going on. I'm not going to give anything away. Just watch it. If anything it's incredibly current due to the state of affairs in Gaza at the moment and will take you on a ride you won't forget.

While 'Hatufim' is definitely worth being judged on its own merits, it probably will, for some time, always be compared to the US series that was based on this Israeli original... and after having viewed both series I'm confident in saying that 'Hatufim' doesn't have to shy away from the comparison. In fact, I think it is the superior show of the two.

Whereas 'Homeland' is clearly in the same vein as other US shows and boosts a fast pace, twists and turns and lots of action, 'Hatufim' is much more of a psychological thriller. On the surface much less happens than does in 'Homeland', but 'Hatufim' involves a lot more subtleties as well as realism and character study, especially in its 1st season.

The budget is only a portion of the US remake, but it seldomly shows. Great actors accompany an even better script that left me feeling a lot more involved than the fast pace and action of 'Homeland' did. In fact, Hatufim's 2nd season picks up in pace and action, but still keeps that intimate feeling and heart that 'Homeland' sometimes lacked.

'Homeland' is a very good series, but 'Hatufim' is, in my opinion, a great one.

My review is based on two seasons, which is all that has been produced at the time of writing. I have not seen Homeland.

Two Israeli soldiers and a body are returned home after 17 years of captivity by a terrorist group in Syria. The details of the capture, imprisonment, and reactions in Israel draw on actual abductions, for example, Ron Arad, Gilad Shalit, Guy Hever (arguably), and others. The closest real-life Israeli parallel I can think of is the (mildly obscure) case of Massad Abu Toameh, who was kidnapped in Greece and secretly held in Syria for 14 years. There have been somewhat similar cases in the Arab world (not involving Israel) such as in Morocco, Syria, and Iraq. I wish I knew more about those, so I could better compare fiction to reality.

Season 1 follows the returnees and their families as they try to re- adapt to ordinary life, while gradually filling us in on what happened in captivity, some of which involved moral compromises and does not come into the light easily. It's gripping, and, as far as I can tell, fully plausible. Season 2 is more of a thriller, which I won't reveal the reason for. The second season contains significant implausibilities. Drew me in anyway.

Indeed, even beyond high expectations. One of the most successful serials in recent years, much better made than its US remake Homeland. Israeli cinema in its best.

Magnificent scenario, great directing, excellent cast. Extremely enthralling, holds attention every second. Viewers are constantly under tension - what will happen in the next episode.

A real pleasure for the auditory, proof of the high potential of Israeli cinema in general. I personally very much hope its creators to make a third season, and will look forward to with anticipation of future pleasure. I hope be soon!