Rédl

Wow ! ... You innocently sit down one evening to check out a new series; then, five hours of viewing time later, as the final credits scroll by you slowly begin gathering your wits back about you, eventually awakening to the wild wild ride you had been taken on. From the start in the first episode and scene by scene, this ride becomes, nearly imperceptibly, more and more frenzied as tension and suspense steadily rise till the whole story explodes in paroxysms of psychological, social, historical derangement (which, for the series creators, presumably is intended to symbolically represent the dramatic historical moment upon which the story is bound and fastened). Production, acting, mood, setting, narrative and character development, all achieve high levels of refinement, assuring most viewers find this series a rewarding investment of their time.

I tend to prefer UK and Scandinavian thriller/crime/... series, but from time to time, for the sake of curiosity and comparison options, I search for similar series from other countries. As I remember the 1990ies in my country rather well, I was not afraid to delve into the world of post-socialist gloominess and misrule not always understandable to the Westerners and younger generation.

The first scenes were a bit arid and with many technological explanations, but the line of crime began and tensions and excitement enhanced quickly. The characters are also versatile (particularly Rédl, as well as Jirí who provided also giggling moments) and all the leading performers were up to their task. The visibility of women in the series is rather limited, but so was all post-socialist camp - all dominated by males.

Thus, a recommended series, especially if you know the period when the events took place, and are able to enjoy law enforcement operating without hi tech and balancing between "old" and "new" thinking.