Non uccidere

'Non Uccidere' is a rather solemn Italian detective series, set in a Turin that always feels cold, a drama that feels closer in style and substance to a Scandi-noir than to 'Inspector Montalbano'. It's well plotted, with a young-ish female detective at its centre who is stubborn but talented, quietly-spoken but unyielding to anyone. There's also a background story, not resolved even after 12 episodes, about her mother's involvement in a murder many years before. There are few moments of light relief here, or even action sequences, and it can seem slow - but I liked the fact that its heroine is neither a classical female sterotype nor an extreme opposite. I'd recommend watching it, but it might have been even better if its makers had had just a little more sense of urgency as they put it together.

When my wife started to watch THOU SHALT NOT KILL, she only thought there were 6 episode's. From the very first episode. my wife and I, became completely mesmerized. It is normally me who gets so involved with a tv show. Only this time, it is my wife. When she found out that there were infact 36 episode's, spread over 2 season's, she was very happy indeed.

I, have found each episode extremely interesting. Being a UK citizen, the type of murder mystery show's that i watch are, VERA, Midsomer Murders etc. THOU SHALT NOT KILL, is very similar to those type of murder mystery show's.

Watching tv show's from other european country's and also other country's around the world. Gives me a more understanding of other country's cutler's, fashion and indeed location's etc. Country's like Italy, are not that much different to the UK. Many year's ago, my family and I visited Italy for a holiday. I found Italy to be a wonderful, colourful country and would one day like to return.

I hope, whoever does watch THOU SHALT NOT KILL, enjoys it as much as my wife and I do.

Kind regards Graham

'Non uccidere' may be the first crime series coming from Italy that I have ever seen. It's quite an unexpected source for the genre, Italian cinema being quite famous for neo-realism, for comedies, for historical dramas or for the very personal and creative movies of great directors like Fellini. We do have of course the horror stories of Dario Argento, but these are a genre by themselves. Cerebral crime stories are not what I would have considered an Italian specialty, and that is why 'Non uccidere' created by Claudio Corbucci is quite a surprise for me, and a good one, I should say.

I have watched the 12 episodes in the first two seasons, broadcast by ARTE TV, which have been realized in 2015 and 2016. There is a third season that I am yet to see but I need to find a good opportunity and some time. The episodes come in pairs of 40-45 minutes each and I suspect that some stations may have transmitted longer episodes joining two series each time. There are two plans of parallel action - one is a procedural forensics crime drama which finds its solution at the end of the second episode in the pair, the other is a longer thread also comprising a criminal element and involving the main character, police captain Valeria Ferro and her mother, out of jail after serving time for killing Valeria's father. The stories take place in Torino and around the city. I've never been to this city, but I feel that I know it a little after having seen 'Non uccidere'.

There are a lot of reasons to like these series. The stories are well written and their solutions make sense. Most of the characters are credible and acting is good. The only minus if this can be called a minus is that the lead actress Miriam Leone looks too young and too beautiful for her role. The stories tend to take place in various social medias that the script authors and episode directors seem to know quite well - working people and immigrants living in the less fortunate areas of the city, or very rich people in their sumptuous villas. One of the most interesting couple of episodes takes place in a nuns convent. The makers of the series adapted well their cinematographic tools using elements of neo-realist cinema in some of the episodes, or approaching the stories as melodramas for riches in other. Overall this forensic crime drama with touches of soap opera works quite well.

We have a beautiful detective with no affect, who goes off the reservation frequently but always solves the crime in the last five minutes. Yep cookie cutter stuff. It is entertaining and the plots are well drawn out with interesting characters and it does match Denmark's "The Killing" in mood and complexity. The main character needs to be drawn out more, driven and severe can only last for so long. I suspect we are inching towards a gradual unveiling. The series could also be better at broadening the other members of the crime team, because it seems like a one trick pony crew.

Overall I really liked this crime series, having watched many others from the UK, Sweden, and France. Some of the stories are better than others, and the switch off to background drama between Valeria and her mother got a bit boring after awhile, for some reason. I think it is because the mother is so passive and calm that you can't imagine she was ever fired up enough to kill someone, and the switching around just interrupts the flow of the crime investigation. Valeria herself can get tiresome with her inability to ever relax or smile, and her refusal to take more realistic caution (such as having her partner with her to investigate someone dangerous in remote locations- really?) And why is she "sort of" with that much older guy, and living at home, when she could be with her obviously smitten partner or someone like him? But these are minor points of an intriguing series showing me interesting aspects of life in Turin, Italy (and do their grown children always live with their parents?) Looking forward to the second series being on PBS soon!