Bandidos na TV

I've watched many documentaries and fiction series on violent crimes, police investigation and corrosion. This series is so entertaining and interesting that it has grasped my attention and curiosity more than many fiction series could have done. The story-telling, turnarounds, and different points of view are amazing.

I am always on the lookout for the latest documentaries on true crime or related subjects, and I found this one, despite having never heard about this case (which always makes reading or watching something about the subject that much more interesting).

You can sense the Netflix production values and skills of those involved - it is very well edited, spaced and the interviews are very well interspersed with footage and a cohesive story-line.

During the first couple of episodes, I still had no idea regarding the protagonist's innocence or guilt, the series will lead your opinion one way, then completely drop a bombshell pointing to the other way (currently on the final episode and I am still on the fence) but both sides are really well portrayed and give the viewer a very tumultuous yet informed viewpoint of the entire picture, and what was going on.

It provides a great insight on both the raw violence, and effects of murders and drug-related fatalities, as much as it highlights the deficiencies of the media portrayal of these events, and the political tactics and string-pulling in the background.

The final two/three episodes seem a little drawn out and I feel it could have been condensed into 4 or 5 episodes. I have to laud the unbiased viewpoint of the series (compare it to something terribly biased such as the likewise Netflix-produced 'Knox' documentary), it is refreshing and really unusual subject, a highly recommended watch!

I never knew about this guy or his TV show. Excellent storytelling and thumbs up for the creators of this documentary. It was very interesting. At the end of the final episode I cannot say if he was guilty or not. I think the truth was somewhere in the middle. What is clear is that the media dramatized everything and the prosecutors exaggerated the accusations. The sad part of everything is that there is a big problem with the corruption and criminality in Brazil. I don't say that every Brazilian is corrupt or a criminal but they have a big problem there and a lot of innocent people suffer because of that.

What a surprise! This documentary was unusually well done: very detailed, mostly unbiased (to my non Brazilian eyes at least) and engaging. Some parts were a bit too long but the pacing was overall good: I really wanted to know more about what happened and the interviews were interesting and not just a boring filler.

Did the people that wrote Netflix's synopsis even watch the documentary? I had never heard of this case before watching this and I don't think anyone who does watch it can state that this guy was guilty and that he actually ordered the killing of people for ratings or for whatever other purpose. The documentary is well made, if a bit too long, but it is unbiased enough to at least leave you in doubt. Yet, Netflix chose to draw their own conclusions and write a misleading, inacurate and plain dishonest synopsis... all in the name of ratings, I guess.