Thursday 11 February 2021

The Serpent (2021 Hans Herbots, Tom Shankland)

An original screenplay by Richard Warlow and Toby Finlay, based on real events. Jenna Colman is fine of course as partner of murderer Tahar Rahim; Billy Knowle and Ellie Bamber are Dutch people on the case. (Bamber was in Shankland's Les Mis.)

My heart sank during episode 4 when I realised it was eight hours. What's with this excessive length thing? Could Warner Bros have told this story in an hour and a quarter? It seems to go on forever, and the ending doesn't make sense (why does the Statute of Limitations apply in Thailand but not in Nepal?)

Structurally I think it was a good idea to tell the current day story of our embassy investigator, but I would have cross cut that against the charisma-less Serpent's story told chronologically - all these '3 months' earlier / 2 months later' in that annoying flight departures board graphic are wearisome.

Also slightly fascinated by all the smoking. Seems too many shots of people lighting cigarettes, which in older movies tended to be done at more significant moments. Also Howell doesn't look like he has ever smoked.

Some dreadful dialogue, though did like:

McInnerney: If you'd known all this was going to happen, would you have let me kill him?
Howell: No.
McInnerney: Maybe there is a future for you in the Diplomatic Service.





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