VividSimon Simply Perfect

Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

Lucia Ayala It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Tom Dooley Set on the border between Ukraine and Poland we meet an elite team of Border Guards who try to stop traffickers from smuggling illegal immigrants across the border and also try to save some lives. Then on a night of celebration a bomb is set off, killing all but one of the team, This is Captain Viktor Rebrow.He is badly injured but the pain caused from losing his friends and girl friend is harder to bear. With his life in free fall he goes back to work with the single purpose of tracking down those responsible for the murders. He also has a new team and the concomitant tensions that such a situation can bring. Worst of all there is a hotshot DA on his case – he is the sole survivor and so must be in on the whole thing – is her premise.What unravels in the six episodes is truly entertaining. The acting is all high end and the feel of authenticity is held throughout. Animals feature heavily here – especially wolves – but there are scenes that some will find upsetting, so do be warned. Mixed with the spine of the story are many sub plots and the sort of things that you would expect from a Nordic Noir and it does not suffer in any way by that. This is original in most parts and had me gripped for nigh on every episode, but the ending may let some viewers down – to say why is a bit of a spoiler. That said I still really enjoyed this and hope HBO continue to make great television of this ilk.

Bene Cumb It seems that my previous familiarisation with a Polish series was in previous century; that is why - when referred to Wataha - I was curious how the cinematography of a big European country had evolved and varied.In general, I should say I am contented: performances are decent and realistic (although I found no performer to be fixed in my memory for the future), the plot has several twists, and one can get a good overview of life and people in a distant Polish border area. Besides, as for mood, background, camera-work and some characters, there are obvious references to similar Nordic crime series; well, it is not bad as such - as Nordic series deserve even more attention - but the result is a bit homespun, and the ending was not a good match to the prior thrilling events. The pace was a bit slow as well, but the breaks were often a prolongation of the obvious, rather than meaty accentuation of atmosphere or thrill. But, still, Wataha is a versatile creation for those fond of the mix of crime and conspiracy.

Tweekums This Polish series is centred on a group of Polish border guards who monitor the remote, heavily wooded border between Poland and the Ukraine. In the opening scenes a bomb rips a guard post; the only survivor appears to be series protagonist Wiktor Rebrow. A text message he received moments before the explosion leads investigators to suspect that he may have been involved. Wictor is determined to prove his innocence and discover who was really responsible for the murder of his friends. There are plenty of suspects as smuggling is rife in the area and any one of the smugglers could have targeted the border guards. As time progresses it also looks as though one or more of the guards could be in the pay of the smugglers and to make matters worse a serial killer has escaped from a Ukrainian asylum near the border.This is a fairly six part series set on the EU's eastern border; the remote setting adds to the atmosphere; there is a real feeling that the guards are one their own there. The story is interesting with a few twists and shocks along the way. I was somewhat disappointed with the non-ending but was pleased to hear that a second season is either in production or will be soon. The cast do a solid job making the characters believable. Overall I'd recommend this to anybody looking for something a little different; just don't expect much to be resolved by the end of the sixth episode… hopefully it won't take too long for us to get season two.These comments are based on watching the series in Polish with English subtitles.