646f9e108c A terminally ill French secret service agent is hired by Hydra, a mysterious black ops organization set up by the government, to fight crime by any means necessary and receive experimental treatment in return. Also, his daughter hates him.
This series started out great. Season one has great scripts, good characters, compelling plots and beautiful cinematography. <br/><br/>Season two rolled around and the production staff must have changed hands. Instead of nice, tight, two-part stories, we got a long, rather boring story arc that was confusing and consisted of catching a bad guy portrayed by an actor whose sole ability was to glare malevolently through smoke-hued glasses. The cinematography began to resemble Hollywood's, there were too many fight and shoot 'em up scenes.<br/><br/>Season three rolled around and is barely watchable. I don't even think I'll finish it. I think everyone quit giving a damn, including the actors. The plot is like caramel apple rolling down a dirty street, collecting whatever bits of debris lie in its path.<br/><br/>So, watch season one. It's great and beats the pants off anything out of Hollywood in the last 15 years. Watch season two, but be forewarned. Watch season three if you're a masochist or are stuck in a hospital bed with nothing better to do.<br/><br/>PS -- The subtitling (English) is excellent, except for the amusing omission of a certain swear word...
Luc Besson has clearly established himself as one of the most renown current French filmmakers, whose many creations have already obtained cult status and/or general fame. Despite the fact that the recent decade or so has seen the French crime series moving into/towards Scandinavian noir, the series like Taxi, Transporter or the one in question have their steadfast place among related series.<br/><br/>Unlike e.g. Tarantino, Besson does not amuse with crimes or violence, but his characters and still "very French" and able to issue funny or foolish lines during harsh situations... The cast is evenly strong and distinct, with Vincent Elbaz as Vincent Libérati and Damien Jouillerot as Tony Massart create most funny and odd situations, particularly when together... True, some scenes are too hyperbolic and some others do not provide any complement to the Series, but there are no totally ridiculous scenes as often in similar US series. Season 1 and 2 are the best and fastest, Season 3 shows some signs of tardiness and weariness (which is probably the reason why Season 4 was canceled, although Season 3 ends strangely).<br/><br/>All in all, a good series, along the lines of Taxi and The Transporter, but more compact than the latter. It is advisable to watch all episodes in sequence, otherwise summaries and flashbacks may be confusing, as the dynamic of personal relations of the main characters play a crucial role in understanding most acts and deeds.