Ludik

It was fantastic to see so many local talents on a Netflix show! Incredibly proud of the many talented SA actors. I loved the storyline, the quality of the shots, and the production. Seeing Arnold Vosloo and Diaan Lawerson together on screen was definitely a match made in heaven. It was also heartwarming to have music from local artists featured in the series. Very excited to see more of Ludik! The only critique I have is that it was a relatively short season. However, that's understandable, since it's testing the international market. All in all, it was an enjoyable, action-filled watch with many interesting characters. It was also fantastic to see my home language, Afrikaans, featured on Netflix. I hope this gives the creative production scene in SA the boost it deserves, particularly after Covid.

I am a big fan of Arnold Vosloo. If only the rest of the cast could have lived up to his ability. This could really have been a good show bar two things: appalling soap opera performances and the most awful soundtrack and sound design. I nearly stopped watching because of the dreadful din coming through the speakers. The 3 stars are because I wanted to see how Ludik got out of his dilemmas so it had me hooked in that way, but I confess I did fast forward some scenes with the bad guys. This was a good example of how not to play bad guys: try to look and sound like a bad guy.

The difference between good acting (Vosloo) and soap opera acting (Sean Cameron Michael) is that Vosloo underplays emotions so the viewer can interpret them. Michael shows you everything, all the time and over eggs it like crazy leaving nothing to our interpretation. Anyway, my opinion.

Arnold Vosloo's big vanity project!

I really tried to give it a fair shake. But... The sound design is irritating to say the least. The local actors sound like they either just dialing it in or reciting lines. It's not even remotely close to international standards like Squid Game or Money Heist.

I really wanted to but was unable to enjoy. I have always been an Arnold Voslos fan and was hoping for some aging star magic(Like James Spader in Blacklist). But alas, this was not it.

First, there is background music playing in all scenes and often it is distracting and at times downright awful. Even the simplest of scenes will have a music/or humming sound. Other scenes will have a drama moment with a loud electronic background that does not fit the mood at at all

Protagonist did well, but most of the other actors played their character over-the-top, almost appearing cartoonish and unintentionally humorous.

Editing, all over the place. This shift from scene to scene, often without context was jarring. It slowed up a bit in the later episodes, but still moved around making it hard to follow.

Great potential. Poor delivery.

It starts off with a great premise but over-acting and hamming by most of the cast ruins what could have been a great series.

Arnold Vosloo does a good job but the rest of the actors are many classes below.

The storyline seems to go around in circles too. I am not holding out hope for a second season. I really hope though that the South African TV industry starts to do better and better.

The flashbacks to Daan's childhood seem to serve no purpose except to satisfy some whim of the director. The music is good but overwhelms the dialog and makes it hard to follow.