What fascinates the TV series "Criminal", if there are only conversations

The most unusual detective project of recent years has been released on the streaming service Netflix. The Criminal series brings together stories from the UK, Spain, France and Germany. Three episodes are dedicated to each country, and the action takes place in the same premises: an interrogation chamber in a police station, an observation room and a corridor.

Detectives talk with detainees who are suspected of various serious crimes, trying to understand the degree of their guilt and intent. The police also argue among themselves and resolve personal and work issues.

And that's all. In this series, there is no pursuit of criminals, shootings and filming at the scene of a murder. The characters are just talking. But the authors managed not only to convey the national flavor of each of the countries, but also created an exciting atmosphere of a detective thriller, and at the same time perfectly revealed the personalities of all the heroes.

Four series in one

The structure of the "Outlaw" is very unusual. It was written by director Jim Field Smith (Episodes) and screenwriter George Kaye (Killing Eve) from England. They also filmed the British part of the project, inviting famous actors.

But then, in exactly the same scenery, scenes from other countries are shown. And here authors from Spain, Germany and France have already worked in order to more clearly convey national subtleties. And therefore, in each part of the project, you can see movie stars from the respective country and hear their language.

Most Russian viewers are likely to know only British actors. David Tennant (Doctor Who, Broadchurch) and Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter, Black Mirror) play amazingly here. Moreover, both appear in an unusual image.

Tennant's portrayal is very similar to detective Hardy from the TV series "Broadchurch", but now he is already in the role of a suspect. And Atwell, painted in white-pink color, may not be immediately recognizable at all.

Of course, this does not mean at all that actors from other countries are worse. It's just that aglophone projects reach Russia more often than German or Spanish ones. And "Criminal" is a great excuse to compensate for this. Indeed, despite the same entourage, the behavior, emotions and types of the characters are completely different.

The Spaniards start with gestures and loud conversations, the British with an emphasis on restraint, in the German part they show rain outside the window, and the French immediately set an important social theme. Each story is unique in its own way, but still the project is united by a common tense atmosphere.

A detective on the verge of a thriller

It would seem that a series built only on conversations would turn out to be very slow and almost meditative. After all, even in the second season of "Mindhunter" they tried to slightly dilute the long dialogues with action.

But the authors of Criminal prove that words are enough to create the intensity of the plot. The circumstances of the crime are shown only in the form of photographs, which are attached to the case or displayed on the monitor. But more often they just describe. And they do it so vividly and in detail that it is not difficult to complete the whole picture in the imagination: whether it be a scene of domestic violence, the transport of illegal migrants, or a terrorist attack during a concert.

Literally from the first minutes in each episode, the action spins. Detectives are trying to split the suspect, and their behavior patterns are completely different: some close, answering only "No comment", others chatter incessantly, confusing the police.

And every time the representatives of the law have to think about which method of interrogation will work best in a particular case: heart-to-heart talk, pressure, facts or cunning. After all, the wrong approach can only scare the accused.

Interrogations turn into a kind of duel. Moreover, there are not two participants in the confrontation, but much more. After all, detectives have to deal with lawyers, who are often more stubborn than the suspects themselves. And the police do not always agree with each other.

The viewer is also drawn into this game. Several techniques are used at once. To begin with, there are dialogues and facts that allow you to make your own assumptions about the circumstances of the crime. A suspect or detective can describe their version of what happened in a very believable way. As a result, the story will turn out in a completely unexpected way.

But the matter is not limited to this, because it was not in vain that experienced actors were invited to the series. In "Criminal" the camera constantly picks out a lot of little things, forcing to follow the facial expressions, movements of the hands, and sometimes the legs.

Body language in this series is no less important than words, because you can use it to try to guess if a person is telling the truth. Moreover, this may be not only an attempt to evade responsibility, but, on the contrary, a desire to take on someone else's fault. Therefore, from the first episode, the viewer will notice how the suspect drinks water from a glass, where he looks during a conversation and whether he holds his hands to his face.

Deceptions are everywhere here. A huge, sinister-looking person can turn out to be quiet and timid, and the case, which they plan to close as soon as possible and not be late for dinner, is being delayed.

The camera work in the series is beyond praise, although there is practically no space for beautiful filming. But the camera sometimes flies around all the speakers in a completely Tarantino way, and the translucent mirror, which has become the logo of the series, which is unchanged in all episodes, allows you to create very unusual plans.

At the same time, the pace of action, as befits a good detective or thriller, accelerates towards the end. No, the heroes still continue to sit in their places. But the intensity of emotions is emphasized with larger shots, gesticulation becomes more active, the camera switches more often, forcing tension before the denouement. And from a certain moment you can even forget that the characters do not go beyond the premises.

Hero disclosure and ambiguity

Often times, passions run just as high in the observation room as in the interrogation room. It is there that the true emotions of detectives are revealed and disputes about the legality of certain methods begin.

And in terms of revealing the characters from the authors of the series "Criminal", it would be worthwhile to learn from many screenwriters. The stories from each country are about two and a half hours long. Most of the time is devoted specifically to interrogations, but literally in a matter of minutes they manage to tell about the life of the detectives themselves.

Lots of small objects like a mug with initials or a hidden gift complement the short but very important dialogues between interrogations. So viewers will learn about the love or friendship of the characters, about the appointment of a new leader or about health problems.

All this is served very quickly and unobtrusively. But by the third episode, the characters seem to be old acquaintances, and I want to find out more about them. Of course, in a couple of cases it comes out too exaggerated. Against the background of the practically reference British part, the French go too far with the emotions of employees, and the Germans - with the topic of personal relationships. But this is rather nit-picking.

For the rest, the viewer has time to throw not only detective stories, there is enough room for moral questions, to which everyone will have to answer independently. Indeed, sometimes the circumstances themselves force a person to commit a crime, and confession is obtained by unworthy methods. Emotional involvement of a police officer can help punish the offender, and in other cases it only interferes with an objective view. And it is almost impossible to guess in advance how each case will end and how this or that character will behave.

Despite the very limited scenery and the complete lack of action, Criminal does not let you get bored even for a minute. He looks like the heir to classic detective stories and theatrical productions, where everything is centered on personalities and facts. In addition, the anthology format allows you to switch the action to a new plot in time, so as not to drag out the story and once again plunge the viewer into the whirlpool of events.