IN FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES When veteran policewoman Captain Lea Hippolyte gets assigned the case of a brutally murdered female med student, it looks like it'll be open and shut: the old story of college students' excesses leading to tragedy. The case, however, proves more complicated than she first thought. To solve it, Lea joins forces with unlikely colleagues: the victim's father, Victor, a disbarred doctor, and Helene, a non-conformist psycho-criminologist. Their investigations into "ordinary" crimes intersect with their quest to find out who killed Victor's beautiful daughter. Sometimes working together, sometimes alone, they encounter contract killers, eco-activists, drug dealers, underage thieves, call girls in need of medical attention, enemies within the police department and the criminals who brought about Victor's disbarment. Good thing Lea is stoic, unflappable, and a martial arts specialist. Set in Montpelier in the south of France, Antigone 34 is a stylish, fast-paced thriller that examines the dark underbelly that lies beneath one of Europe's most beautiful cities.
H**.
Terrific
An excellent police procedural set in picturesque Montpellier, a city on the Southern French coast. Anne Le Nen plays a physically fit, fascinating, no-nonsense police "Capitain," who plays by the books while punching and kicking a punching bag to keep fit for taking down bad guys. She is an excellent and always interesting lead. There is a long arc story that keeps the mystery going to the end of the last episode, as well as smaller stories along the way. The cast is wonderful and it is well written. This doesn't have the scope of a "Wallander" or a "Montalbano," in that we don't know anything about the private lives of the police, it just sticks to solving crimes. I enjoyed it and wish there were more seasons.
B**
Anne Le Nen is terrific
This show has only 6 episodes, and apparently was never picked up for Season Two, but I sure wish it was. First, Anne Le Nen plays a terrific cop character, Captain Lea Hippolyte, someone you don't want to mess with (in classic mythology, Hippolyte was queen of the Amazons). The episodes are fast-paced, and it's OK if you aren't always sure what's going on, who is good and who is bad -- that's part of the charm. And it is a bit of an ensemble cast, who appear in all episodes -- her two young partners, well played by Aubert Fenoy and Lionel Erdogan, Le Nen's co-equal star, a criminal psychologist played by Claire Borotra, and a convicted murder set free after serving his sentence, very well played by Bruno Todeschini, who is on a mission to find the real killers of his daughter. There's bad cops, worse cops, bad good guys and good bad guys, great scenery, and excellent production values. And Le Nen's icy blue eyes.
M**L
Thoughtful and enjoyable
I thoroughly enjoyed this. Even though I had to strain to recall my schoolboy French or follow the subtitles, I found both the plot and the characters convincing and the series overall quite exciting. It's a pity it was not given a second series. It was considerably better than many series who are now into their fourth or fifth season...
B**N
Well acted; poor camerawork
This arc of stories features the toughest broad anywhere. I enjoyed the stories and the characters were well acted, but I did not care much for the camera work. Very fast pans, scenes interrupted by public transportation, and generally shaky camera movement were disconcerting. It was as if the cameraman/director were trying to be certain that the viewer never got a static shot.
M**K
Great mystery
Love the series and the main story the was partially solved on the last episode but I was satisfied with end. I love to watch a 2nd season.
C**E
Well worth it!
Really enjoyed this one. Just sorry there is only one season. There is a case for each show plus an ongoing case that stretches over the whole series. I found the ending satisfying, so even though there is not a second season, the viewer is not left hanging. I enjoy some of the Swedish, German, and French sharper crime series. If you like those, I think you will like this one.
J**N
A little over the top
I like that held hand camera Technique, fast paste action. But don't get me wrong! that main female character comes off a little bit Animated Super Hero-ish. The Producer's of this show need to tone down her character or watch the French movie Pointe Blank..
J**P
Nice if you like the French and the country. C'est ci bonne!??
I like her, the scenery, the french language, the Romano,the illegals trying to make a living, some bad cops, and the atmoshere of the series.The stories are a little weak and sometimes frantic!
S**.
This would probably have been OK, if it weren't ...
This would probably have been OK, if it weren't for an adolescent director who rendered it *unwatchable*. One episode was a struggle.
P**E
Perplexe
Une mini-série policière française plutôt noire. Pas mal de personnages antipathiques, une ambiance lourde, un environnement peu réjouissant. Même le "héros masculin" n'est pas sympa. On n'est même pas sûr, à la fin, que tous les "mauvais" paieront.Côté technique, un montage haché, des cadrages très serrés, une caméra souvent subjective...; là non plus, ce n'est pas vraiment ma tasse de thé.Une tentative intéressante de mettre en parallèle deux femmes au physique et au mental très différents tourne malheureusement court au fil des épisodes.Enfin, ayant séjourné en tant que touriste à Montpellier, j'espérais reconnaître quelques coins particulièrement plaisants de la ville: mis à part l'un ou l'autre flash de la place de la Comédie, du quartier Antigone et du tramway, je suis resté sur ma faim.Et pourtant, j'ai tout regardé jusqu'au bout sans devoir me forcer ! Pourquoi???
R**E
Excellente mini-série !
J'espère qu'une suite verra le jour. L'histoire est crédible et prenante, Anne Le Nen est parfaite. Les protagonistes, dont les motivations de collaboration sont bien amenées et le réalisateur parviennent à installer un climat lourd et captivant.Les ressorts du scénario sont intéressants et suffisamment tortueux pour s'attacher durablement notre attention. La "délocalisation" provinciale ajoute le dépaysement et la découverte de Montpellier à l'intérêt de l'intrigue. Tous les excellents acteurs semblent avoir pris du plaisir dans leurs rôles et parviennent à nous le communiquer.A recommander !
A**R
Five Stars
parfait
G**Y
Série Antigone 34
Bon produit répondant à mon attente. Je n'ai fini de regarder la série pour juger complètement. Pour l'instant c'est plaisant
