Crime à ciel ouvert

This was a cop drama that had several strands with some of them having happened in the past and retold as flashbacks. This didn't make for a particularly cohesive story even though events in the past impinged greatly on the present-day investigation. At times it was rather hard to get the various timelines and events meshed together and melded in one's head.

There were a few loose ends too - we never got to know who the top dog was for instance. Where did the junkies go after eviction? And a couple of scenes were not credible - falling from a very tall building is fatal but not in the series - the guy was out of bed within a couple of weeks. These aren't strong enough hooks to be cliffhangers.

However the plot moved on at a fast pace involving input from family members as well as normal and methodical police work. On balance I'd say that I enjoyed the show.

Edit: There are no "spoilers" here in the sense used by this site. Please don't flag it again.

This first-rate noir production puts a fresh spin on the shopworn plot tripod involving a mysterious murder (yes, the victim is tragically young and very pretty), the detective(s) with a screwed up life, and "evil business"...oh, I forgot the corrupt cop, so that makes four legs. Yet, character development via superb writing and acting (female cop costar is a genius IMO), make it a most gripping and satisfying watch. The music is likewise as pitch perfect as the script. As an aside, one wonders for the millionth time why the writing for and acting by American child actors is so mundane/awful/unimaginative? Dustin, younger brother of the deceased, gives an amazing performance of a poignant character you won't forget.

Each episode begins with a melancholy, deep voice, accompanied by images captured in warm yellow tones, ranging from wildly romantic to excerpts of a mysterious murder. The action takes place against the backdrop of a disused coal mine in Lusatia, which symbolizes environmental pollution and the downfall, the past of the GDR. Quote from Lauchhammer: "one of the most expensive disposable items of reunification".

As German productions like to attach great importance to conveying a message, classic old and current clichés are used here once again to raise a warning finger. So you can already guess that we have to deal with East German frustration and the climate stickers, whether we like it or not. Unfortunately, the moral ambitions are usually so high that it sometimes seems overloaded.

Unfortunately, German productions lack the courage to go their own way, so they follow in the footsteps of tried and tested colleagues from abroad. As a result, the two main investigators are made up of a quiet, emphatic man and a mostly newly assigned socially incompetent female colleague, as is currently very popular. He has his roots where the murder took place and has to come to terms with his past. As a result, the story is spread across different timelines and an earlier murder and several social stories are told in parallel. On the one hand, this makes for a multi-layered story, but it also distracts more and more from the actual murder case, which fades into the background.

The story unfolds slowly but builds up the suspense constantly, despite a few "social" gap fillers, some of which drag on a little. There are always enough suspects to keep you guessing until the case is finally solved.

The entire cast does a solid job. Little Dustin, who took my heart by storm, is particularly endearing. Lucas Gregorowic, who I really like, was absolutely convincing in his role. The dialog also stands out positively overall. The technical realization is excellent, capturing a great melancholic mood with a beautiful image and color design. The camera, lighting and editing deserve praise here, they are much better than the average German series.

Unfortunately, the characterization is too negative, clichéd and flat for me. The old East Germans who weep for their GDR, the drug-addicted mother in cheap "Berlin-Marzahn" clothes with a child without a father. And of course the Fridays for Future group of the vegan granddaughter with protests and "forest occupation". This gives the whole series the feel of an environmental protection lecture with a 4.1/2 hour message: "Coal is bad, meat is bad, save the planet". Which is basically not a bad thing if you don't just keep asking yourself the question, "Who else was the murder victim?"

------------- Conclusion:

So-so - For fans of German crime thrillers, this is a high-quality production worth seeing that stands out from the classic Tatort, is multi-layered and wonderfully shot.

A great story BUT one has to pay attention.

I left the show in German and read the subtitles in English.

The only character that I had a problem with was Annalena the cop who in charge of the murder investigation. When will script writers learn how to write for a successful, accomplished women without her coming across as less than/a bit@#. The detective is well versed in policy and procedures BUT does not get along with others. She is not a team player. At times she comes across as a bully and can come across as bias in her thought process. Towards the end of the 6th episode this was addressed. All in all she has little compassion and is all about results. And what's with asking point blank a subordinate for sex and stating that no feelings will be involved.

The other lead detective Maik is going back to his home town to conduct the murder investigation and with it comes all his baggage that he has put behind him.

I loved the filming of the series. The music. The flashbacks.

If you love a good mystery, want something non formulaic, this a good choice.

As a fan of what, now, I suppose must be old-school Belgian noir, I rejoined Netflix. That streaming channel's violence quotient renders almost everything--sometimes including documentaries--unwatchable for me. But since I love me some Belgian noir, I rejoined.

This is going to be a long review. Please skip if you're not into long reviews.

The gold-standard for Belgian Noir is 2017's "The Break" or (en francais) "Le Treve." It is so good, I have sometimes rejoined Netflix specifically to rewatch only it. I watch it in the original French. But I sometimes will listen to an English-audio version, as I did here with Lauchhammer. I wonder if I'm the only one in Netflix-land to wonder if the same male English dubber is used in absolutely every French/German production? I'm not whistling Dixie, and so, if you watch this in English, take my word that the material is much less theatrical and high-strung in the original.

I keep saying, "French." I assume this production was made in the Wallonia region. When I hit "Play," the language went directly to French with English subtitles, not German.

The noir genre requires--*requires*--esthetically appealing atmosphere. "The Break" had enough atmosphere for fifteen seasons. Not "Lauchhammer." Swamps and moors (moors? In Wallonie?) don't cut it. The noir genre also requires pacing that introduces additional suspects at a slow pace. Holy crow! We're introduced to everyone and his or her mother-in-law as a potential killer here.

"The Break's" use of homeless squatters with dreadlocks was kept to a minimum in both that series' seasons. Homeless squatters are like mustard--perhaps tasty if used sparingly, depressing as all hell when made the focus, or seeming focus, of the plot.

Lastly, "The Break" *entertained.* That's a horrible word to use about the murders of two extremely endearing main characters (Seasons 1 and 2). However, the victim here seems merely a sullen Millennial. Anyone who recalls the heartbreaking Driss Assani, the African immigrant from Season 1, will recall that Driss was anything but a sullen Millennial.

The pile-on of characters, potential motives, possible baddies in just one episode proved too much for me. I intended to follow the series, because Juri was clearly the "Kevin" ("The Break") character here. The thing is that every blessed character in "The Break" was fascinating in his or her mixture of good and evil.

If the writers/producers of Lauchhammer were thinking to appeal to die-hard fans of "La Treve," oh, dear, as of Episode 1, you have gotten so many things wrong--including the politically correct, sparring female-male detective team. Annalena is SO not the beloved "Marjo" ("The Break").

Maybe I'll continue with it, maybe I won't. I do not need Sullen Millennial Cinema. Maybe that's what Netflix should rename itself: Sullen Millennial Cinema... in the Multiverse!