Bang

As the Welsh government champions the revitalization of its mother tongue, the country's television industry is doing its part toward language immersion.

"Bang," premiering Monday, Oct. 15, on the streaming service Acorn TV, is the latest in a recent spate of Welsh-language thrillers, this one threaded with English and subtitles for Welsh, also called Cymraeg, for those who can't untangle its knotty cadences.

Set in the steel town of Port Talbot - the childhood home of the actors Richard Burton, Anthony Hopkins and Michael Sheen - "Bang" rises from a less bucolic Wales than shows like "Keeping Faith" and "Hidden," its moody shoreline juxtaposed against a backdrop of blast furnaces and smokestacks. And the story of "Bang" is as grimy as its setting, with a shabby menagerie of tough guys, stolen-car dealers and loan sharks shredding the local fabric while Gina (Catrin Stewart), an ambitious young police officer, tries to the return the streets to safety.

But mostly it's the story of her brother, Sam (Jacob Ifan) - a hapless warehouse grunt who, as a 5-year-old, witnessed the shooting death of their father - and the seeming invincibility ignited within him once he finds himself in possession of a gun.

Location: South Wales. Horse running on beach followed by it standing on beach munching on sand?. Does't move when truck trailer drive up. Poor start for realism.

Two detectives working together have a romantic relationship on the side. Not good policing policy, but good for viewer demographics. Even the supervisor is in a questionable relationship with a parole officer. Overall detective behavior & sleuthing skill very inept. Action consists mostly of lots of running (in dress shoes & attire coupled with poor running form) after suspects.

Formula detective series seems copied by many countries in making their own local version, i.e. The usual cheap quick scene of dead person; the usual questioning of misdirected suspects; the usual low IQ forensics; the usual interdepartmental issues. Actors seem chosen for looks & not believability.

The most interesting thing about this series is that fact that it is performed in English and Welsh. Other than that, it is absolute rubbish that is at the level of a university drama project that is done for academic credit! The script is all over the place and not well thought out. It contains a mass of tangled stories, some of which are related to the plot, others are not. The writing and dialog is childish. The ending makes it look as if there might be a second series but hopefully we will be spared that suffering. There have been better series coming out of Wales in recent years. This one is just not one of those.

The rugged backdrop of Port Talbot works incredibly well as the backdrop for this compelling Welsh drama. Mostly spoken in Welsh, with sections in English, it gives the drama a unique appeal. It's a fantastic story, multi layered and deep. If I'm honest I found the first episode a little slow, but after that it's literally all guns blazing.

There's a fact of Welsh (and Scottish) talent on show, and although Gina appears to be the focal point, the story focused more so on her troubled brother Sam. The cast are terrific, Jacob Ifan is a standout, you get the impression that he truly is a troubled character.

Some violence, some shocking scenes, it is incredibly gritty. We get to see the real Port Talbot, we also get some incredible shots of the areas around it, which are remarkable.

It's in the same mould as Hidden and Hinterland, so if you enjoyed those, you will love this. I hugely recommend it.

I've been watching this on the iPlayer and so pleased I stumbled across it. What a gem! Emotional drama with a real sense of place. The central brother and sister story is beautifully told with a sense of how crime influences a victim's life. I love the use of two languages - makes a thrilling drama particularly unique.