Netflix trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYu1SPrakXA
I really wanted to write about "The Eastern Gate," but at the end it disappointed me.
I love a visceral series. Something dark and edgy as opposed to bright and in your face. Something that draws you into its world and doesn't let go.
And that's how "The Eastern Gate" was in the beginning.
And it's only six episodes long.
So what we've got here is a Polish spy show. You see there's a strip of land keeping the Russians from Poland and if it's compromised, so are they. Yes, this is a timely show, considering what is going on in Ukraine. People don't realize how close these countries are. Like the next state over.
The star is Lena Góra as Ewa. Don't worry, I haven't heard of her either. But the way she quietly stares... You can see the meaning, on the other hand she's like an automaton, trained by the government to do a job.
And "The Eastern Gate" is really pretty good, but it just doesn't sustain at this level. However, the youthful idealism of Ewa's nephew, the dedication to the cause of Ewa and the ultimate duplicity resonate. This show is made at a high level, it's not popular dreck. It's on MAX and you can check out the trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxoSpSauqmk
As for "The Diamond Heist"... It's so new that it doesn't have a RottenTomatoes rating yet. But there's a lot of buzz, and it was in the Netflix Top Ten and...
Maybe you're aware of it.
What we've got here is a documentary. But it plays like a movie, as in are these really the people? They've got the re-enactments of network news magazine shows, but...
You're still riveted.
On one hand it's cheesy, on another hand you're focused, because you want to see how it plays out.
What causes someone to become a robber? How are you brought up, where do you turn?
Lee Wenham is the star. Is this actually the guy who participated in the plan? Yes, it is. Which is brain-wrenching. Then again, the robbery was twenty five years ago. Yes, that's how distant the millennium was. There are people of age having babies who were born in this century. They're on OnlyFans. And if that doesn't make you feel old...
So in reality we've got a somewhat dry telling of the story, but it's jazzed up with Guy Ritchie production styles. He's not the director, just the executive producer, but the headline fonts, the juxtapositions, the brassiness, is straight of of his movies. And the music keeps it all humming, because on some level this is a sort of dry, straightforward story.
And some of the real people, like the reporter, seem straight out of "Inside Edition." And even the cop from the Flying Squad... You almost don't believe it's him. Maybe that's because usually they get an actor to punch up the character, someone much more attractive and dynamic... But both the reporter and the cop are actually pretty good-looking.
You're constantly guessing, is this real or not?
And why haven't I ever heard of this story?
And there are only three episodes, each less than hour, and if you start you have to watch until the very end, otherwise don't even begin. Yes, you learn things...
But I wouldn't trust one of these guys to be my partner. These are not the best and the brightest, the sharpest tools in the shed. But this is what they do, rob.
But the funny thing is the amount at stake is what a banker can make in a year, sometimes a multiple of that. That's the world we live in, where there's a great divide between the haves and have-nots. A banker would like the money, but he'd need more to fund his lifestyle, whereas these robbers want to retire on the spoils and live the good life.
This is not a satire like "Money Heist." Then again, that's fiction and this is real. But is it really real?
Once again, I wouldn't put "The Diamond Heist" at the top of your list, then again, I'm constantly stunned at the crap people watch, and by those standards, it's pretty good.
The whiz-bang elevates the story. And who isn't interested in a good robbery?
And even more in a good spy story?
Then again, most spy stories are now cartoons, like James Bond. But there really are spies and there really are robbers. Here are two tales.
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