Quilesca

This movie outdid itself - is simply not any dude bro action flick. It has everything that has been lacking in many blockbuster films that I have been waiting for - for years.

I can tell the team behind it were passionate about the project; the sound effects are poignant when it matters the most, the fighting scenes have humour with people flying out of view (I legit laughed out loud), and the cinematography (sometimes like wes anderson), with appreciated story boarding, makes for contrast and relief from the building tension in the full 117 minutes - which I was on the edge of my seat for the entirety of it.

The film feels like it was made with meticulous love and I recommend it for anyone searching for a ride or die action drama.

Hint: invest in the relationships as there is more than meets the eye.

Also, better than Infernal Affairs, better than the american version The Departed, which, come on, hollywood always forgoes about character and relationships to more fighting scenes.

The Merciless didn't skimp on any of the good stuff - it is in a league of it's own. Shippers will be satisfied - I can't wait to get my hands on a director's cut.

At first I thought it would be a bit Fargo, because it had a small town female cop not subject to crazy CSI beauty standards tackling a case bigger than the town itself - with the addition of lovers, but it's completely different. Up to ep 3 so far.

I'm very much enjoying the story writing and the characters. It's a breath of fresh air. A lot of women are given strong characters and the casting is phenomenal. Sometimes I feel that there can be 'much butthurt' from strong female leads, but I find they did it with great subtlety, using familiar tropes and dare I say, using Helen's job for a detective procedural element to make the viewer comfortable.

The lead 'Helen', taring is a full faceted character that we are seeing more of each episode. Other characters such as Camilla and her sister have been given a lot of depth and complication as well and I want to follow along with their stories too. - see no spoilers.

I'm also very much attached to the future of the lovers Philip and Tyler. I have long accepted that this generation of films and books will always exist coming out stories and I am not against them. I am also not against alternate universes where everything is acceptable. Of course it shouldn't need to be this way, however, depending on where you are, everyone's freedoms may not be the same. So far, I feel that there are good writers giving people fair representation (as of yet, it is ep 3 so far) and that they are in safe hands.

On another note, I thought Helen's husband looked familiar, maybe his role was very similar to the husband's in the Medium staring Partricia Arquette. But nope, Tommy from Shawshank didn't die! After passing his higher school exam (or the equivalent in America), he's found a loving foster home (with parents whom he still visits) and is now fostering kids himself. Andy Dufresne must be very proud.