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Reviews
The Dark Horse (2014)
A troubling reality
I'm not certain that this movie will have international appeal simply because it's setting is in New Zealand.
That, on the face of it, shouldn't make any difference you may think, but the imagery, language, and social discord is so localised that I fear that it's message will not ring bells for viewers who can't identify with the players in the drama.
Don't get me wrong. I have every confidence that societies across the world experience the same issues - youth without aspirations fall into the clutches of the gangs because they provide substance in the void.
If, somehow, you do get a chance to see this movie, then grab that opportunity with both hands because something like this does not come along very often, and when it does, we frequently forgo the chance to wallow in the spectacle.
Damages (2007)
Plot, characterization, drama and suspense: top shelf
It takes something special to motivate me. I'm typical of most viewers. Ho-hum. What was that all about! Let's see when the next sport is showing! Toss the remote over here, will ya!
And then along comes this gem.
The character development was well-paced throughout the series to the point where we - as viewers - felt able to predict the class into which the action or reaction of the character - whether it be Patty Hewes' sneer belying some new manipulation, or Ellen Parson's counter-punch - fell.
The plot was tight and coherent - with a consistent, lucid, logical yet complex thread running from the first episode in series one down to the last episode in series five - with little call to a viewer's need to willingly suspend disbelief (I know that's the expression, but I've always thought it should be "suspension of belief" but that fight's for another day and another place) As an example, Ellen's murdered fiancé appears in the last episode, giving Ellen the sort of advice that we know he would have given had he been alive. Of course, Ellen had become so bewitched by Patty that we knew what her decision would be - and true to type, she followed the road that only a true acolyte of Patty Hewes could or would take.)
In short, I can't decide whether this series is better than Borgen (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1526318) or not. Better people than I am will no doubt be able to analyze the two dramas and give reasons to fall one way or the other, but suffice to say these are two shows that rank with the outstanding: either could be my "Casablanca" (which as we all know and agree is the best movie of all time. LOL)
If you haven't seen either of these series, make an effort to find a boxed set, hide away somewhere for a weekend, and prepare to have your life changed by the share force of the characters you are about to meet. Both are relatively unique in that the writers, the actors, the directors and the producers all seem to have a synergy that has allowed them to produce what will in time be recognized as great theater. They both show the frailty of our mortality without betraying its strength.