Valea Mutã

I can't believe that the reviewers before me (except one) saw the same production I did. Honestly, as it was concluding, I was amazed I'd enjoyed it as much as the very best crime thrillers I've seen from Britain, Scandinavia, Belgium, and elsewhere. I found it exhilarating.

It may not have been flawless, but I thought everything was above average to exceptional. The main actors were phenomenal (two secondary parts were a few beats off but not terrible). The photography and editing were great. The story was compelling for nearly the entire four hours. The third episode slightly faltered for me. In the end, that may have been best: I'm not sure I blinked during most of the fourth episode.

Perhaps other reviewers had seen this specific story done (like Professor T, another great one, it seems to be a popular remake) before. They walked into it with expectations that weren't met (too similar or dissimilar)? Don't let them dissuade you. If it's caught your interest, give it at least 20 minutes. I can't help but think most will enjoy. I wish they'd have continued the story. Instead, I'll have to look for other works by the makers of this fine series.

Since the original Norwegian version is not available for streaming, I thought this would be a good substitute. Unfortunately, it's poorly produced, low budget, and lacks continuity. The story is told in a jumbled manner with so many scenes being irrelevant. The final episode has too many sub plots all coming to a head that it really is just a jumbled mess. Overall, it's a waste of time.

There is nothing, nothing that comes remotely close to the poor acting in this movie. It could easily get 7-8 stars if it wasn't for the acting.

Almost everyone is stiff. Nobody talks Romanian like this. There are two scenes when the characters should be raging with anger, and yet the actors are zen-calm, no fluctuation in their voice and only tense their facial muscles as if they are enacting their characters via animojis.

Overall the tv show has a good premise, even if it's a remake of Eyewitness (Norwegian), but the actors just do not deliver. At all. If this was a graduation test for acting school, 9 out of 10 should fail.

HBO crime story, casted and filmed in Romania. A strong woman is fighting police traitors, and a young gay man caught in the middle of it all. The main character (played by Theodor Soptelea) is really trustworthy. if not for other reasons, you should definitely watch this mini-series just for his excellent performance.

I'm Romanian. And I'm quite enraged now: how on Earth did they manage to act so badly?

The only one who is good at his job (actually very, very good) is Theodor Soptelea.

Kudos for him, shame on the others.