Sablja

The show faithfully weaves through the chaotic aftermath of assassination of prime minister Djindjic, following several viewpoints - the press, the police, the politicians and the criminals.

The production and camera work are both great and the actors are very convincing, nailing the speaking style of all protagonists and antagonists.

The main problem is the number of characters. There are so many, many names and characters it becomes hard to follow the various motivations and connections. I would say that Sablja requires significant previous knowledge of Serbian 90s and 2000's politics and the vast crime scene that held the country in it's grip to fully understand what's going on.

The show tries to tell it all and it's clearly aiming at the local audience, since they will have no problem identifying who's who. And more importantly, why.

The topic of Djindjic assassination has been explored in length in various documentaries and both the good guys and the bad guys are all household names in Serbia. And this may be what gets foreign viewers confused. Motivations for the assassination are very superficially covered and unless you're a history buff that followed the collapse of Yugoslavia, you'll be hard pressed to understand what is really going on here.

I think a shorter character list would've benefited the show and made it more accessible. But the Djindjic assassination is still a very touchy topic in Serbia and this being the first attempt at making a dramatized tv show about the events, it's understandable that the director didn't want to cut any corners.

The series tells a story through several fictional characters (though some of them display attributes of real-life figures) about the period and atmosphere in the country before and after the assassination of the Prime Minister. It brilliantly portrays that time and the connection between politicians, security services, and organized crime.

The era is described exceptionally well. Of course, not all real-life figures are included, but even this simplified version is a hot mess for those who didn't live through that period. It's important to consider that in reality, around 30 people were on the wanted list, and when you add the internal and external political dynamics, you get a chaos that cannot be fully depicted in a series.

Some fictional characters are designed to combine elements of multiple real-life individuals, which is a good approach to showcasing the values people stood for during that time.

It's an excellent series for those seeking a dramatic narrative. However, if you're looking for factual accuracy and detailed insights, it's better to watch one of the many documentaries on the subject.

4 stars are for actor casting selection, acting and production of this drama. Good job on that, everithing else is way off of how it actually happend!

I found everything else as misleading for this history event with not enough information. If there where used only a few information and evidences from autopsies of the victims - this scenario would be a lot more close to the truth with much bigger drama and action impact which would be beneficial for the whole project.

Political background (domestic and foreign) at the time is covered poorly, evan though it was crutial for the assasination and later political path of Serbia.

Djindjic made actual patriotic stance from 2002 by forcing return of serbian troops to Kosovo, supporting Republika Srpska, not willing to support fake and selective international court in Hague by providing them military documentation from war - instead he insisted of indivitual responsibility for each war crime.

Prime minister (Djindjic) and his bodyguard (Veruovic) were shot with 2 different bullet calibers. Role of politician Jovanovic (who was a junkie and connected to the Zemun klan) is misrepresented at a big scale, except for one scene where he has been involved in decision making for catching Dusan Spasojevic.

Fake serbian patriots who are politically active evan today, were not thrilled to see Djindjic doing some actual work because they planned to monetize those topics for their own good not for the good of serbian people (which is cristal clear today in 2024). Also his stance was not aligned with plans of international political agenda's for the Balkans. If you check which companies outside of Serbia are supporting Sablja series - you will see who is controlling this whole process in the last 22 years. Fake patriots and international western politics agenda.

If the film crew wanted to present some truth to Serbian people benefit - they had to do some actual and extra work. They could start from the victim bodyguard Veruovic - but I am sure that wasn't allowed.

This series can be enjoyable if we are not familiar with or don't care much about the real events that took place in Serbia. However, it is disappointing to see that many important political figures who played a direct role in the atrocities depicted in the series are entirely absent. These individuals are still active in Serbian politics today, making their exclusion even more noticeable. This omission raises questions about whether political censorship continues to play a significant role in shaping how these events are portrayed. It feels like an attempt to avoid addressing certain uncomfortable truths about the past. It's unfortunate that such a strong influence seems to persist.

As an average viewer I cannot talk about the scenario, or acting or directing or the way the story was led. I can only say that I liked it even though me and my family and friends we were all feeling awfull after every episode.

Actually I cried after each of the episode. Why? This is a tale about my country and our failure as citizens of Serbia to build better society after Milosevics regime.

The assassination of our prime minister and the events that followed it in this series are not described like how it actually happened. (Documentaries exist for those who want credibility).

Sablja is, in fact, used just as a frame to explain and describe what is happening nowdays. The autors are depicting actions that contributed to a condition of an imprisoned state where we all in Serbia live in.

The main characters are carefully selected as a policeman, a criminal in the making (by not so odd consequences) and an ambitious journalist. They are the key for understanding when and how everything went wrong. Now it is up to us to decide what should we do with this sense of injustice and wether we should overlook fake licenses and literally bloody cash.