Landscapers

This is a rather frustrating movie. The story it tells is interesting. The performances are terrific, especially Olivia Coleman who is brilliant. But the whole movie is done with all these strange film references that I don't think make any sense.

I suppose it's some message about their fantasy Life or how they tell stories and how the police tell stories or something but it doesn't really work and it doesn't really make the story better. It's just this weird distracting thing. Every once in awhile it works when it doesn't go too far. But things like the big Western sequences that fill up one episode seems more like a way to get a TV movie length show up to four episodes.

Still, it's worth watching just to see Coleman as the genial and slightly off housewife.

To say that this is a quirky version of a true crime event is putting it mildly. Comparing it to Fargo is a fair assessment, but not entirely. The dark humor of Fargo is very American in flavor, while that same humor is very British in this series. There are distinct differences. Olivia and David, portraying married couple, the Edwards, carry this series firmly and fascinatedly on their shoulders. Their ability to portray a couple who are both appealing and creepy is the mark of great acting. In the end, you are left wondering if the real Mr. And Mrs. Edwards are guilty, not guilty, or only partially guilty or innocent of the crime that they are accused of.

A strange adaptation mixing fantasy with reality but I'm not really sure that it worked.

It wasn't badly acted or anything but i think I'd have preferred a more traditional handling of the subject.

The best way I can think to describe this show is an artisanal docudrama, and it works. The scene cuts are flawless and the cinematography dark and vivid. The characters are well cast and well acted, Coleman slays as usual. It's an interesting story, if not a bit odd.

I often find British crime dramas to either be so desaturatedly bleak that they're a slog to watch, or too cartoonish to take seriously - Landscapers is neither and instead takes its filmic cue from the murderous couple's adoration for old romance and westerns. As such the four episode miniseries is alive with action scenes, arch fourth wall deconstructions, monochrome melodrama, soft focus romanticism and everything in between. Its layered restlessness accompanied by some charged performances and a deep empathy for the characters (and people) gave it a strange charm and I found myself completely won over by it. Definitely worth a gander.