Falcón (2012–2013) User Reviews

Entertaining

[rockhurstobrecht · 7/10 · 14 April 2016]

Javier Falcon is a cool Spanish Chief Inspector based in Seville Spain. He is the brainchild of a British crime writer, Robert Wilson, who combined crime solving and the psychological development of the hero in a series of four mysteries. I think that understanding the author's background and intent may help readers understand some of the negative reviews of this highly entertaining and sophisticated work.

One reviewer complains that Falcon makes mistakes. In my view this is not a weakness of the work. Wilson's characters are fallible and thus human, credible and interesting.

Other reviewers complain that the actors do not affect Spanish accents. Well, it is an English language production. The Spanish setting for the story is well evoked through the scenery, the backgrounds of the characters, the sense of heat, a bull fight and the legal system in play. I was not at all distracted by the actors' natural English accents. If anything, they contributed positively and reinforced understanding of roles.

I am inclined to disagree with the reviewer who found the gore was extraneous. Shocking, yes, but it was relevant.

I agree that the sex did not have adequate lead-up. I too found the hero's constant drinking of bottled water tiresome. I have no idea what powdered street drug he uses to spike it. It certainly does not seem to alter his behaviour.

Yes, the plot is complex. Another strength. You will likely be left with questions and possibly a wish to watch the film again for the answers. It is that good.

Interesting, but...

[woody1950 · 6/10 · 4 March 2013]

There was a lot to like about this series, but it had issues, too. I agree with the other reviewer who complained about the English accents. This is par for British TV series set in foreign locales. They seem to think that their audiences won't like it if it's too "foreign", so they make little effort to make the characters look like the locals or even give them an accent. This is odd, because so many British actors are great in roles with foreign accents.

The other issue I had with the series is that I found it very hard to follow. Those who are intimately familiar with the novels probably knew what was going on, but I found myself at sea much of the time.

Otherwise, the photography and the locale were perfect. I doubt that there will be another season for this series, but if there is, I hope they provide a little more exposition to make it easier to follow.

No Spanish

[franmiami73 · 5/10 · 25 December 2012]

With all the UK actors currently in USA playing American characters, Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy, Awake, House, Homeland to name but a few, why was this series filmed with very English accents, even the Spanish waiters. Documents were in Spanish but all accents could have been an episode from a UK crime drama, beautiful scenery but totally spoilt for us. Beautifully acted but no attempt to make it authentic despite being made for Spanish TV too, no doubt dubbed. Jason Isaacs, Damien Lewis, etc. I've read all 4 books but very disappointed. Unsure about Javier's drug taking, and why so British female characters too. Surely there are Spanish actresses available. Having watched 2 series of Romanzo Criminale in Italian with subtitles and being transfixed by the acting, something similar should have been done here.

Intriguing series co-produced by Great Britain and Spain , set in Sevilla , stars an ambiguous detective

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 27 June 2023]

Javier Falcón is a tough detective chasing a murderer who seems to know dark secrets about the policeman's family . At the beginning , Sevillian detective Falcón (Marton Csokas) investigates the murder of a restaurateur and the prime suspect results to be the beautiful , wealthy widow (Hayley Atwell) . The case triggers uncomfortable memories for Falcón and he is forced to ask hard questions about his own late father , a notorious painter. Falcon searches for the truth, but he will discover things too difficult to process . Along the way, the brooding and burdened inspector Falcon wades through a string of suicides and murders . Meantime, the detective is searching for the truth, concluding with family history rearing its ugly and deadly enemies drawing closer , but are there things that are too painful to see?..

Stirring as well as thrilling series packing killings , action , thrills , suspense , explosions , violence , twists and turns . An enjoyable series telling a growingly intricate tale of deception, cruelty , family secrets and the tale also takes a convoluted turn in the later acts and this time around Chile torturers during Pinochet dictatorship . Falcon is a tormented policeman and a brilliant investigator who always lives on the edge between the world of the law and that of the criminals he pursues. Accompanied by the secrets of his past and his addictions, Falcon will have to solve brutal murders and crimes that bring out the worst in humanity.

A nice miniseries made up of 4 episodes titled : Ep1 ¨The Blind Man of Seville¨ , ¨The Silent and the Damned¨ Ep 2 , The Silent and the Damned Part Ep 3 , The Silent and the Damned Ep 4 , being based on the novels by Robert Wilson . Impeccably starred by Marton Csokas (Lord of the Rings, The debt , Pawn) in the role of the ambiguous , two-fisted detective. Csokas ia an intense, somber sort of a player , making him ideal for the lead role in these grim, disturbing, and often nightmarish stories. Along with a very good support cast of stunning actors , most of them British players , including the following ones : Hayley Atwell , Natalia Tena , Santiago Cabrera, Emilia Fox , Kerry Fox , Bernard Hill , Alexander Siddig, Charlie Creed-Miles, Kenneth Cranham , Rosie Perez, Robert Lindsay , Maurice Roëves, Henry Goodman, Martin McCann and Bill Paterson.

This is an international high quality co-production financed by Canal plus, Sky Atlantic and ZDF. The series was compellingly directed by Pete Travis who carries out a complex story , being regularly paced at times . Travis is a director and writer, known for Dredd (2012) , Omagh (2004) , End game (2008) , TV Henry VIII (2003) and this Falcón (TV Series) 2012 , set in Sevilla , Spain . And his big hit : ¨Vantage Point¨ in which Pete Travis displays a precocious technical mastery and narrative fluidity . Rating : 6 . Interesting but uneven series and it will appeal to thriller fans .

Don't waste your time.

[d-overton · 1/10 · 29 January 2014]

I agree with previous reviewers. Why set a series in Spain where no one speaks with a Spanish accent and the actors look as if they've been roped in from south of the Thames? Unsurprisingly, they all have English provincial accents, which would need subtitles to be understood, especially in America. This killed it for me. Also, Falcon, the so-called "brilliant detective", as he is billed in the promo, looks totally out of it most of the time, and bumbles from scene to scene, swilling some sort of suspicious liquid from a bottle. He has no street-smart skills, as one would expect from a seasoned detective, and gets clobbered by the "baddie" when he should have been paying attention. Basically he is an innocent at large. The first episode left the viewer hanging. The second, is little better. Some reviewers say each episode is 90 minutes, while the version I saw each was less than an hour. In an effort to be generous I ask the question: did a lot of it end up on the cutting room floor? In summary, the plot is convoluted and obscure, and frankly boring. Give it a miss.

Unwatchable

[bret-rensselaer · 1/10 · 29 December 2013]

I watched two episodes from Netflix. It was a painful, character-building challenge to sit through them:

* The storyline is confusing, murky, and meandering with flash-backs, flash-forwards and flash to I don't know where.

* The acting is weak ranging from A to B, and limited to long stare reaction shots.

* The dialog is clichéd and predictable.

* The blood and gore is gratuitous. It only exists to inject some excitement into the dreariness.

* The British accents are jarring when Spanish is expected.

* The lead detective is unprofessional and incompetent. He demonstrates terrible judgment and a complete lack of common sense.

* The sex is predictable and irrelevant.

Falcon is a waste of bits.

Wait a minute... What?

[Oak Owl · 2/10 · 1 May 2017]

Cinematography: beautiful. The streets of Saville, the energy of the festival, the dusky blue evening shots; marvelous.

The plot: convoluted to say the least. And extraordinarily slow-moving; it seemed as if it would never end. At the conclusion I had no idea why the (original, off-screen) crimes were committed, nor the reason for the ones which occurred in the first episode. As a modern-sensibilities-driven American, it was more than a little difficult to mourn the second-to-last victim who died while in the middle of torturing an animal.

The characters: Dysfunction Junction. Senor Falcon's general lack of affect was not (ISTM) adequately explained by his substance abuse issues. His infatuation with one of the suspects bordered on the creepy/stalker. None of the characters were likable or sympathetic. The author must be extremely cynical about the human race (not saying it isn't accurate, just too depressing.)