Peter Tzagarakis

I'll keep my review short. Others have posted detailed ones if you want more. This 6 part series is a must watch show if you like crime stories that have a psychological bend to them. After the 1st episode, I wasn't sure this was worth it. The 2nd episode was a bit better. Stick to it. The 3rd episode is when you know you've made the right choice. The acting is superb from all but what really makes this series work is the character, Larry Hall, played by Paul Walter Hause. Truly incredible job. You will believe he is Hall to the point of being disturbing. You will not be disappointed watching this series.

I was going to write an in depth review about how bad this was but Andrew Lemayian pretty much covers it in his review. This is very loosely based on a true story. But really bears no resemblance to actual events. The acting is shallow for the most part. The Susan character does a decent job in her role but that doesn't carry the plot at all. As soon as the main characters were introduced, I knew exactly what the end result was going to be. The positive reviews are people who had to have worked on this movie. No way anyone watched this twice, let alone 4 or 5 times as one person said. I wouldn't if you paid me. Btw, the neck injury was nasty but for it to still be healing after a month? It was either bad enough to kill or it was superficial. He would have died or healed in a week. Give me a break.

The story is ok. Quite stereotypical of all the nationalities. Sure many of the stereotypes are accurate but these characters are completely 2 dimensional. The acting is poor and the writers did a pathetic job. They have the actors constantly stammering and pausing, stuttering. Not acting like people would do in a situation like this. A lot of the dialog is done with tight close ups and unnecessary. It's unfortunate because the set people did a decent job in scouting locations and it's often wasted with these tight shots. There's a gunfight scene at one point with at least 6 shooters, all with AK47's at very close range and they never hit anyone not even one of the bad guys. The ending is predictable. Frankly I found this barely watchable and I'm a person who can suspend their disbelief to get into a story.

I love this genre. The Sopranos series was phenomenal and maybe one of the best series TV shows ever. This? I have no idea what I just watched. Has little to do with the Sopranos series other than a few last names and bit appearancesby of some iconic characters from the series. The sets, cars, music are all great. The acting is fine. The story is aimless and disjointed. I don't know what they were trying to show us. As a prequel, it doesn't set up the series in any way. They missed a glorious opportunity to not only show us the history before the series but set up several movies that could follow this one. You only get one chance at a first impression and the writers blew it here.

There is a problem with this series if you're interested in the Sherlock Holmes genre. Benedict is so bloody good, no, so great, that no one else could ever come close to performing the part as well as he. He acts the part, he looks the part, he is Sherlock. The supporting cast is excellent. The sets, filming and shooting style is perfection. Sure the series takes "liberties" with the original. But if it didn't evolve to today's sensibilities, as Sherlock would say, "boring". I got my son watching it and he's as hooked as I am. I loved the books. Loved Jeremy Brett in his day but this is a must watch series. I hope they create some more seasons.

Masterfully crafted. Perfectly acted. Every scene means something to the story. The opening scene will grab you and the story will draw you in. I could have watched for 2 more hours.

I see that a few others and media movie critics have been critical of the "hollywood treatment" of a story based on fact. A person's heroic efforts of 4+ years are compressed into 2 hours. Of course the writers will take liberty with the story to get the story told. Many seem to want a documentary vs a movie. The point is to enjoy it, learn something and if you want more, research the history. It's a well shot and well told tale that makes you think and want to learn more. IMO a must see film. Particularly now.