DAVID BIANCULLI

Founder / Editor

ERIC GOULD

Associate Editor

LINDA DONOVAN

Assistant Editor

Contributors

ALEX STRACHAN

MIKE HUGHES

KIM AKASS

MONIQUE NAZARETH

ROGER CATLIN

GARY EDGERTON

TOM BRINKMOELLER

GERALD JORDAN

NOEL HOLSTON

 
 
 
 
 
'The Last Panthers': A Serious 6-Hour Foreign Crime Drama
April 13, 2016  | By David Hinckley  | 4 comments
 

The Last Panthers is what Americans used to call a foreign film, only now it should probably be called foreign TV.

It’s a six-hour closed-end series, already shown in France and the U.K., about a French jewel robbery whose epicenter quickly shifts to the murky backstreets of Serbia, from whence the thieves hail. It premieres Wednesday (4/13) at 10 p.m. ET on Sundance.

On the most basic level it’s a cops-and-robbers story, wherein French policeman Khalil Rachedi (Tahar Rahim) tries to track down theft mastermind Milan Celik (Goran Bogdan, top), whimsically known as The Animal.

The Last Panthers are the gang for which he works, and their unofficial full name is the Pink Panthers. That’s not homage to Peter Sellers. It’s because they seem to be the last survivors of a notorious Eastern European jewelry theft ring.

Also on The Animal’s trail: Naomi Franckom (Samantha Morton), a British insurance claims adjuster whose goal is to retrieve the 15 million Euros worth of stolen diamonds.

She’s not helped much by her boss Tom Kendle (John Hurt, left), just as Milan isn’t always helped by his boss, Zlatko Mladic (Igor Bencina).

Given that it runs six hours, The Last Panthers also gets a little more complicated than just running down a crook.

The Animal turns out to be a complex character whose real goal is not to get rich, but to save a life. The words “Robin Hood” come up early.

Naomi seems several years earlier to have been a UN soldier stationed in Serbia, where she picked up some memories that weren’t all rosy and that this case resurrects.

Once we clear the opening scenes, which include the heist itself and its immediate aftermath, no one will mistake The Last Panthers for standard U.S. or even British police drama.

Scenes run longer. A sympathetic character smokes a cigarette. Few conversations are straightforward while many are moody and atmospheric, with much of the meaning left unsaid.

Characters end inconclusive scenes with blank stares. The music is ominous and subtitles abound.

The Last Panthers also looks foreign. It’s not technically a black-and-white film, but most scenes have about as much color as the zombies on The Walking Dead. If you expect to see the sun, you will almost always be disappointed.

By the end of the first hour it’s clear The Last Panthers will be awash in moral ambivalence, with neither the good guys nor the bad guys having a monopoly on righteousness or evil.

The show is quality work, a fine example of how what could easily have been a serious European film can now become a serious European television show.

American popcorn television, it is not.

 
 
 
 
 
Leave a Comment: (No HTML, 1000 chars max)
 
 Name (required)
 
 Email (required) (will not be published)
 
EEHXN
Type in the verification word shown on the image.
 
 
 Page: 1 of 1  | Go to page: 
4 Comments
 
 
Our carbide inserts allow fast machining, dimensional stability, and better surface finish on metal parts. We inserts also have low-temperature resistance, good thermal and electrical conductivity, and many other excellent properties. We is the name you can trust for world-class carbide inserts., welcome to our website to learn more about carbide inserts:https://www.estoolcarbide.com
Mar 7, 2024   |  Reply
 
 
products have avantgarde design , which can make you look stylish and modern in any occasion.Numerous returned customers possess a passion to enjoy probably the most product good carbide inserts because of their super quality but lowest price., welcome to our website to learn more about carbide inserts:https://www.estoolcarbide.com
Feb 28, 2024   |  Reply
 
 
products are cute. We are glad to give you the opportunity to Buy product best carbide inserts for a very accessible price.We only sell first-class product that are carefully sourced from manufacturers that must comply with our stringent quality control standards., welcome to our website to learn more about carbide inserts:https://www.estoolcarbide.com
Jan 29, 2024   |  Reply
 
 
joy scher
when is Spiral coming back?
Apr 21, 2016   |  Reply
 
 
 
 Page: 1 of 1  | Go to page: