From the creators of Stag comes Criminal: Spain. This Spanish police procedural series created by George Kay and Jim Field Smith. It is part of Netflix's Criminal, an anthology series consisting of twelve episodes with three episodes each set across four countries filmed in local languages – France, Germany, Spain, and the UK. Psychological games abound between detectives and suspects in a tense interrogation room, where the search for answers sometimes comes at a moral cost.
It's safe to say that you can be a tourist in this series, though it may not be strictly necessary to visit all four countries to get a sense of its world. There's something crushingly repetitive about the show, primarily because of its contained setting which risks restraining the action to the point it feels claustrophobic. The filmmakers treat each story as an exercise in filmmaking logistics, and the result often feels like an absorbing and kinetic movie adaptation of a stage play. The show is a sterling example of incredibly smart, unorthodox programming. It's small-scale yet, at the same time, large-scale as it spans several countries and languages. The show manages to reach deeper into the core of police drama without the bells and whistles, tersely drilling down to the mental struggle between the police and the suspects. The show demonstrates how with excellent writing, fantastic performances and arresting camerawork, a show set almost entirely in one room can make for a gripping and thrilling watch. The show is a bold and welcome departure, but the lack of an overriding story arc means it's not a series suited to binge-watching, which would blunt its impact. The show does have its moments and it's an interesting experiment by Netflix and the makers to try and craft something new in a heavily saturated field of television. The show is a plain, no-frills drama that avoids being drab by turning the police interview room into a chessboard with only psychology allowed as a weapon. These head-to-head duels are breathless, propulsive and hypnotically gripping. It's skilfully directed and stylishly European in production values, with a haunting electro soundtrack and spare, slate grey decor. The show is a marvel of acrobatic camerawork and clever transitions. Fans of formal experiments will eat the show up - at least at first. At its best, the show is taut and claustrophobic, while occasionally being as fanciful as any far-fetched scenario cooked up by a desperate defence. Leaving the viewer to work out who is telling the truth, and what version of it they are telling, should be catnip to anyone who loves a good mystery. The writing, when paired with performers at the top of their game on both sides of the table, creates a thrilling interrogation setting where there are layers to uncover.
Simon says Criminal: Spain receives:
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