Favourite Discoveries of 2015 (5)

It's Terry Halligan's turn to reveal his Favourite Discoveries of 2015 and these are two subtitled series, available on DVD.

Terry Halligan's Favourite Discoveries of 2015

Generation War in German with subtitles and is in a two DVD set.

Career-soldier Wilhelm, his pacifist younger brother Friedhelm, and their friends Charlotte, Viktor and Greta say farewell in the summer of 1941 in Berlin, with the promise to meet again after the war. Wilhelm and his brother have been ordered to the eastern front, Charlotte will join them as a nurse in a field hospital there. In Berlin, Greta makes a name for herself as a singer, with the help of a high-ranking party official. Her Jewish boyfriend, Viktor is despatched to a concentration camp in the east. Little do they know how much the unfathomable experiences, deprivations and terrors of the war will change them. It is the experiences of friendship and betrayal, belief and disappointment, illusion and insight, guilt and responsibility that will change their lives forever. 

I was very moved by the story which I found brilliantly told and particularly interesting as it is told from a different viewpoint to the usual British or American one that one is so used to.

Braquo is the name of a French police detective series. The name relates to French slang for "heist"and the programme which stretches over several series, details the adventures of Hauts-de-Seine's district police department and in particular four best friends and colleagues who are out to avenge the death of a colleague who committed suicide after being unfairly blamed after a failed operation. It is not for the more sensitive viewer who is easily shocked as it is very brutal in the storyline. In the first episode a police officer rams a biro into the eye of a rape suspect and it continues on the same lines throughout several series. It is said to be France's alternative to The Wire or The Shield.

I watched three complete series of this very dramatic programme with great enjoyment and can't wait for the fourth.

In the meantime I've ordered another French detective TV box set, Spiral, which runs to five series so far and I'm looking forward to viewing it in due course.

TV News: Braquo returns to Fox tonight

The third and final series of French cop drama, Braquo, begins tonight at 9pm on Fox (UK):

From the Fox website, here's the background:

Created by former policeman Oliver Marchal, this French import is dark, compelling and gritty, and stars Jean-Hugues Anglade, Nicolas Duvauchelle and Joseph Malerba.

The series follows a team of Parisian cops who blur the lines of the law to get the job done.

Full of intense interrogations and grisly violence, this is certainly not for the faint-hearted!

Last season, the team were thrown into a world of danger as they went from being the hunters to the hunted.

Caught up in the crossfire of a gang war, they faced a long and arduous road to redemption.

Now Théo is lingering between life and death after the explosion of his car and Roxane, utterly crushed, watches over him night and day.

Meanwhile, Caplan and Morlighem pay a visit to Vogel’s place with vengeance on their minds.

Despite a desperate thirst for revenge and recognition alike, these rogue cops still have a job to do.

Set the Recorder: Braquo Series 2

The second series of French crime drama Braquo will be start on FX (UK) on 29 April at 10pm:

Braquo series 2 comes exclusively to FX and is set to be darker,grittier and a whole lot more violent.

This season, the game is up for hard-hitting cops Caplan, Morlighem, Roxanne and Vachewski. Caplan is put on remand, Morlighem and Roxanne are reassigned to junior posts and Théo Vachewski is forced to kiss his badge goodbye...for good!

As with series 1 there will be 8 episodes. The official French website is here.

Favourite Discoveries 2011 (2)

Today's instalment of favourite discoveries of 2011 comes from Norman Price who blogs and reviews at Crime Scraps as well as at Euro Crime. Norman's choice is a tv series which I have been faithfully recording but have not yet watched.

Norman Price's Favourite Discovery of 2011


Braquo is a French crime series, showing on FX the channel that introduced The Wire to British TV. It is very exciting while raising the moral question of how far should the police go to solve crimes. Should they use the violent methods of the crooks they are attempting to catch, and should their loyalties be to their fellow cops or the law?

The four person squad at the centre of the series is a disparate group lead by Eddy, a grizzled veteran living on a houseboat on the Seine. Then there is Walter, a bald gambling addict whose wife is a chronic alcoholic unable to look after their children. Theo, a young violent coke addict who has a way with women. And Roxanne, who manages to look extremely sexy while alternating between a bad hair day, and a very bad hair day.

The squad are supported by their ex-boss and his crew, and opposed by nasty Internal Affairs cops, who are trying to catch them at the various crimes they are forced to commit to solve their numerous problems. When the cops are trying their hand at murder, robbery, drug dealing, kidnapping and blackmail you know that you are probably watching something French.

Perhaps not everyone's cup of tea but I am enjoying every episode.

Braquo will be available on R2 DVD just in time for Valentine's Day (6 February) at around £30.

You can read Norman's Euro Crime reviews here.

Discover French crime writers available in English, here.