The Last Panthers

My Review- The Last of Panthers 2015/2016 Streaming on ABC IView My Rating 7/10 I must be honest and say I really only watched this very interesting 6 part series because I'm catching up on the early projects of Tahar Rahim but I'm glad I did .

My only criticism is that the complex plot like so many series jumps back and forth in flashback which I find a bit confusing.

The Last Panthers is a Franco-British crime drama television series created by Jack Thorne and directed by Johan Renck. It is a fictional story inspired by the notorious Balkan jewel thieves the Pink Panthers. The profits from the sales of stolen diamonds was laundered to supply guns and ammunition to be used in the cruel and destructive War in Bosnia Independent Claims Specialist Naomi (Samantha Morton) is given the job by her boss, Tom (Sir John Hurt), of recovering stolen diamonds, no matter what it takes. Also on the trail of the diamonds, from a different direction, is Police Officer Khalil (Tahar Rahim). The investigation takes them across Europe and into a world where shadowy figures control events.

The series is almost monochrome in parts with just a hint of colour in the flashback sequences. It's a very effective technique also in depicting the Bosnian War which was characterised by bitter fighting, indiscriminate shelling of cities and towns mainly perpetrated by Serb, and to a lesser extent, Croat and Bosniak forces.

Filming took place mainly in London, Marseille, Montenegro and Belgrade, and the story will be in English, French and Serbian.

There are many key roles in this series beside Tahar Ramin who is excellent.

It's an ensemble piece and one of Sir John Hurts last great performances he died 2 years later. Samantha Morton as the Claims specialist is also excellent as is Goran Bogdan as Milan Celik one of the fugitive brothers .

I would have preferred episode 6 to earlier in the series because it flashbacks to Naomi Franckom's (Samantha Morton ) involvement in the Bosnian conflict and her association with Milan's father.

However I'm very glad I watched this if only to remind me of the State of the World and how little we really know of what goes on behind the scenes of World events and what roles some of the people and Nations we place our trust in.

The Last Panthers is one of the best series to air on Sky in 2015.

The story follows many well respected British/French/Serbian actors and should be well received by audiences outside the UK & US as well as.

I think a lot of credit needs to be given to production companies which embrace multi-lingual scripts, instead of re-creating the same concept storyline which seems to be happening as of a recent years.

This is not a film for people who do not enjoy subtitles. But I personally believe that if a character is from a different country to countries of English speaking languages, it is vital for the conviction of the story for that character to speak in there most 'comfortable' language, as this is what would occur in reality. Additionally it strengthens the acting too. To discredit any film because of this reason is unprofessional and shouldn't be validated as "Professional review".

The action in the series is well directed and convincing for the audience. The series does have a lot of 'gritty' moments and harsh realities of how multi-continental gangs could operate, which add to the conviction of the storyline and the attraction of the audience to the series.

The script/ storyline of the series is complex, so is for a mature audience. There are a lot of details that can be complicated for the viewer, but the fact that its hard to pick holes in the series storyline is credible to its genre and style as 'well made'.

The production value greatly surpasses its actual budget, and for a small British film company it should be applauded as a well produced series.

It surprises me that many people are unfavourable to the series's production due to points such as "they all look the same", "too much reading". These I would dismiss as nonsense as in regards to the similarities of actors, when you start to watch a series in full, you learn the faces of the characters and 'who is who', so to judge this as a factor of bad producing on viewing 'one episode' is ridiculous.

After watching all the episodes, I would recommend this to many of my piers, as a; "gripping British styled drama, with shocking twists and strong acting from a wide range of international actors"

9/10 (creativity and respect for the inventiveness of creating an international drama)

• Tommack

The plot had seemed intriguing even before seeing the first episode. I've waited to see the true brilliance of Johan Rencks work, and as I watched the first episode I felt excitement to see where this all ends.

I was especially intrigued by the excellent casting and refreshing filming locations. The only thing that bugs me would be the everlasting titles, but that makes the series even more special, as they departed from the usual Hollywood TV series products. Sky TV took a huge step in production, and I believe it will get them the acknowledgement they aspired to.

I surely hope this will eventually get under the spotlight it deserves to be. Until the next episode, by my count, this show gets a proper called nine out of ten.

An underrated trans-european series that is very enjoyable as long as you don't mind subtitles.

In this dark tale of criminal activity, morality is not simple black and white and although there is much back story it is handled fairly well and provides more emotional impact in the later episodes.

The main players are - Kahlil, a french detective who has recently returned to Marseille where his mother, sister and criminal brother live. Milan, one of the diamond heist team who had hoped the proceeds would pay for his brother's operation but instead has to reopen connections with Serbian gangsters. Naomi, sent by her shady boss (the excellent John Hurt) to retrieve the stolen diamonds. She is then sent from Marseille on to Belgrade against her wishes.

If you can cope with three different languages over the 6 episodes you will be rewarded when the various plot strands come together at the end .

The Last Panthers doesn't quite have the confidence to really deliver on its premise. Everything feels a little flat and unremarkable, particularly Sam Morton who's character feels like a tenth generation photocopy of Sofie Gråbøl's Sarah Lund from similarly toned "The Killing". Ultimately there's not enough emotional engagement with anything in the pilot - I didn't care about any of the characters enough to want the insurance team, the police or the thieves to win. It was more just a bit of intrigue as to how the logistics might play out. Considering the far superior shows out there, its hard to invest my time in a season when the pilot feels as flat as this.