Ennemi public

Psychopathic child murderer Guy Beranger is released from prison into the care of monks in an abbey. The Local villagers' justifiable fear for their children's' safety is realised when children begin to go missing. This 10 part Belgian thriller with its brooding characters took a little while to hook me in, but as the story unfolded the pace picked up. The seemingly austere Inspector assigned to protecting Beranger has her own demons from her past to deal with. Great setting for such a story (an isolated village in the Ardennes forest) - an area about which I knew nothing. The ending left a possible opening for a second series. Recommended

I bought the dvd of series 1 not knowing if I would like it. But just watched 10 hours in one go,I loved it. I found it unpredictable and gripping. Some critics feel the story is unrealistic but it did not bother me. People say this is based on real events and it may be but it requires no prior knowledge to enjoy it. If you like a detective mystery and don't mind subtitles or can speak French seek this one out.

Having recently watched La Trêve and it was to me liking, I was referred to Ennemi public. Well, I had some reservations at first, due to its background topic (based on media coverage, Belgium is apparently the most pedophile-sensitive country in the world), but thankfully, the real events did not have the signs of this horrible sort of crime. The inclusion of monastery scenes was distinct, the performers pleasant and up to their task (particularly Stephanie Blanchoud as Chloe Muller and the men depicting the Stassarts), and the wrongdoer´s person was not revealed too soon... Beatutiful Vallonian nature was a nice supporting actor, extra emphasizing the general mood and "demons" of people living in a distant community.

All in all, a good series, but still a bit less catchy to me than La Trêve where tenseness was higher and you could focus more on the present events rather than compare and assess bad things from the past.

I've watched the first 2 series, assume there will be a third since it was left up in the air. Like some other reviewers I found the police behaviour a bit on the crazy side, always going off doing dangerous things with no backup, ignoring obvious clues, no strategy just always responding to the next weird thing. Also, so many killed but still only a few locals doing all the leg work? Other than a random riot squad who showed up out of nowhere and then disappeared again, I would have expected a national response. All a bit annoying.

But other than that I really enjoyed this show, the 1st series more than the 2nd which was much slower. I did fast forward through a bit of the gratuitious anxiety provoking scenes in the 2nd series, predictable outcomes.

The serial killer, not sure of the name of the actor, played such a tremendous part. He was so creepy, yet somehow increasingly likeable. Some of the actions of some of the characters just seemed a bit unbelievable. Emile's mum being the main one. But generally I enjoyed the slow reveal of characters back stories and the character development as both series progressed.

The scenery and music were wonderful. The story generally was good. The acting perfectly fine. Well worth a look, just don't get hung up on the quality, or otherwise, of the policing.

Very much enjoyed the series. Two seasons is not enough. Thoughtful and well crafted narrative...sub plots integrated well with main thread...with few errors...yes the Belgian police need training but they're shown as human beings with all their weaknesses. Some townsfolk seem stereotypical as if out of some primeval neanderthal era...but reality matters and they can be redeemed at least some can... the social workers and other bureaucrats are shown in a sinister way as they should be...the performances rise to perfection. Yes. We need a 3rd and 4th season. Bravo. Another excellent Belgian series.