Kleo

Went into this with no expectations, just the usual of Netflix's reprints of global content, hits and misses.

Off the first episode, I thought, Cold-War spy thriller, I'm still in. Then they started the real exposition. I definitely felt some, Villainelle, in the protagonist, but how else can you present a slightly sociopathic Eastern Bloc assassin on a revenge quest?

Well. With. Wit. Daft. Surreal. Nostalgia. Heartbreak. Quirk. Pathos. Spies. Misdirect. Socialist. Comedy.

Each episode raises the stakes in thriller AND dark comedy.

Worth a binge. Hopefully, Netflix won't pull this show from a second season--it's definitely setup for one.

Had to say I came across this whilst bored the other day, enjoyed it a lot, dark humour, captured the 80's quite well. Loved the lead actress.

Quirky like an 80's Killing Eve, binged it all.

I may be biased as I am a middle aged German. I am used to a lot of bull from my country. But this one has a nice pace, good story, some slapstick, it is well thought through and has a great production value. It is way over a believable state but it is totally entertaining to watch.

A wild ride with good actors.

I hope the localizations can translate this to a wide audience. Just relax and have fun.

I am a big fan of the Deutschland-83, -86 and -89 shows that have been released on Amazon Prime in the past years. Those shows are about the Stasi, the secret service of East-Germany. This in the times just before and after the Berlin Wall fell.

In Kleo - released by Netflix - you get a similar atmosphere of the above-mentioned Deutschland-shows: the look-and-feel just transports you back to the end of the 80's and beginning of the 90's.

What is however totally different is the dark humour that is included in Kleo. The screenwriters clearly were inspired a lot by the movies of Quentin Tarantino. I see especially back elements of Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill.

When I started to watch the show, I really was very sceptical during the first episode. I honestly have to admit that during the first 15 minutes I had no clue of what to make of this show. But when I was in the second episode, I was sold to the show. It is absolutely a more than worthwile watch.

I should also note the surprising good acting of the main actor Jella Haase. She really does an outstanding job. This since she had to play al lot of different roles as a assassin in disguise. I truly enjoyed how she played all those different roles...

This is a tremendous surprise. For me it's one of the most entertaining shows I've watched on streaming, be it Netflix, Amazon Prime or HBO Max. Excellent writing, acting and direction. The actress playing Kleo is very, very good. Plus good production quality - locations, costumes, cars... And it's not just a comedy thriller about a killer trained by the former GDR, it's an accusation of that dehumanising political system and how it ruined lives and corrupted characters. Highly recommended.