Savage River

The style of this miniseries is to be dropped into a situation with no context or information. We start with following along a young woman who is just getting out of prison on parole and apparently returns to the very small hometown she started out in as a young girl. Plot unrolling happens by character discovery and interactions, as well as the art of deciphering any kind of relationships and who's who. Information is slow to be had, and we don't really know what kind of a person she is or anything that has happened to develop her, inside of prison or out. The acting is decent enough, and there is some intensity which is a good start... even if fairly cliche for this storyline. Ultimately, if you find entertainment in series such as Rectify or the recent Sandra Bullock movie The Unforgivable, then I think this is worth a look, although I don't think this Australian production will outmatch either of those in writing quality or casting. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing it through.

It seemed to me that SAVAGE RIVER was trying to create a Scandinavian-type dark crime story. The impressive opening titles certainly gave me that impression. But, for me, it didn't live up to that expectation.

The story is about Miki Anderson, who returns to her hometown in rural Tasmania after serving a 15-year prison sentence for murder. She is determined to put her life back together and figure out who she is on the outside. But her presence dredges up long-held secrets from the past and Miki realizes everything she thought she knew was wrong.

The show is set in the present day, but it has a timeless feel to it. The pacing is slow and deliberate, and the cinematography is beautiful. The problem is that the story is just not that interesting. It plods along and takes ages to go anywhere. And the ending was anti-climactic.

So, while I appreciate the effort that went into making this show, I can't say that I would recommend it.

I really hoped this was just another great mini-series like the ones that are based on Harlan Coben's books. But it really isn't that good. I don't wanna spoil anything, so I'll try to stick to the broad pros and cons: Pros: The surroudings. The scenery of Tasmania is really beautiful.

The acting is pretty good. No complaints here.

Cons: It's a veeeeery slow show. It draws out every scene like it's a drama serie. The pace is the same every scene. You never get some action. And this is really weird for a series that is about a crime. In the end, I kept watching because I wanted to find out who did it. But the last three episodes felt like a choor.

There's one big mistake in this series. I really can't believe the makers didn't see it when they watched it for themselves.

Engrossing, quiet, almost Altmanesque whodunit that weaves an intricate web of criss-crossing, interconnected characters: it seems everyone is related to, or at the very least knows, everyone else in the small Australian town called Savage River. The very beautiful Katherine Langford is the nominal lead, but it's really an ensemble piece. I was kept guessing about its twin mysteries - past and present. Its only real flaw - and it's a trend I notice in more and more TV series lately - is that it's too long; it probably should have been a 2-hour movie, and would have worked better that way. *** out of 4.

I found myself really engaged in this series - you know a great creation when you forget its creators and become completely absorbed in the story and with the characters.

Having said that, what a fantastic cast, and beautiful cinematography. It may have been low budget, but the team really made their dollars work for them. I appreciated the time taken to develop the characters, the storyline, and that every thread seemed to be followed through right to the end. I was suprised and disappointed that Virginia Gay isn't listed in the "Top Cast" here on IMDB's listing for Savage River - she played a very significant role and performed masterfully.

The series held my complete attention right to the end, and I was really moved by the final moments - this was so well done.