User Reviews

While 'Hatufim' is definitely worth being judged on its own merits, it probably will, for some time, always be compared to the US series that was based on this Israeli original... and after having viewed both series I'm confident in saying that 'Hatufim' doesn't have to shy away from the comparison. In fact, I think it is the superior show of the two.

Whereas 'Homeland' is clearly in the same vein as other US shows and boosts a fast pace, twists and turns and lots of action, 'Hatufim' is much more of a psychological thriller. On the surface much less happens than does in 'Homeland', but 'Hatufim' involves a lot more subtleties as well as realism and character study, especially in its 1st season.

The budget is only a portion of the US remake, but it seldomly shows. Great actors accompany an even better script that left me feeling a lot more involved than the fast pace and action of 'Homeland' did. In fact, Hatufim's 2nd season picks up in pace and action, but still keeps that intimate feeling and heart that 'Homeland' sometimes lacked.

'Homeland' is a very good series, but 'Hatufim' is, in my opinion, a great one.

Due to its location, past and present, Israel has definitely some specific aspects and issues not common to Western" countries to deal with, being at war with far bigger countries. Hardly anybody in e.g. Europe can imagine to be decades in prison under such circumstances and conditions. But life goes on, things change, yet the country´s integrity has to be protected, thus no returner can expect an absolutely warm and unconditional welcome.

All the above is skilfully presented, but script-wise and performance-wise, with explaining flashbacks and unexpected twists and turns included. I used to enjoy Season 2 more as it was more crime drama and with faster pace, although I can not say that Season 1 was static or somewhat tedious - perhaps the contrast with the past pleasant life and present instable existing was too painfully visible. All the cast is strong, forming a versatile aggregated whole, without nobody excelling at the expense of others.

PS I have also partially seen the US series Homeland, but they are largely different.

Genuine, original drama, very mature writing and great performance by talented Israeli actors.

Memorable music and very mindful, slow-paced storytelling, somewhat reminiscent of the best works of Coen brothers.

Cinematography, on the other hand, is a bit amateurish, but in this specific case, it only help to recreate the "documentary" look and feel of the series.

PS: Honestly, I'm mot sure, why so many people compare this show to Homeland. Despite lush "Hollywood" production values, the later looks like a cheap plastic knockoff of the original series, all twists and cliffhangers, no real depth or character study whatsoever. Maybe the problem is the translation (or cultural differences?), I just happen to have lived in both US and Israel, so I could compare both shows as they are. POW is infinitely better, hands down.

This show is sublime. It isn't even worth comparing it to Homeland because there is no comparison. Aside from the fact that PoW was the original of the two, it doesn't focus on the agents, or the families, but instead points the spotlight at the captives and the way they deal with their release, and the subsequent emotional turmoil they have to go through whilst trying to integrate back into Israeli life.

In Homeland it was all about Carrie (the FBI agent) which meant Brody was totally forgotten about.

The English subtitles don't bother me at all, as I truly get lost in the emotion and drama of what is really going on. I'm not going to give anything away. Just watch it. If anything it's incredibly current due to the state of affairs in Gaza at the moment and will take you on a ride you won't forget.

The Israel series, Hatufim (Prisoners of War), which is all in Hebrew, is on DVD with English subtitles. It is one of the best TV dramas I have ever seen: tense, suspenseful, emotional, with superb acting and directing. Gritty and violent at times, wonderfully slow other times, and always dramatic; we usually wind up watching two episodes in a row. There are characters you like, others you don't, but you care about or are interested in all of them. The US version, Homeland, was taken from this Israeli original and is also excellently well done, but Hatufim is a lot different and stands entirely on its own; I think it's the better of the two. This powerful drama should be on everybody's watch list. A comment about the English subtitles: we found the same thing a reviewer on Amazon did -- the subtitles marked as English on the disc of season 2 (2012) for episodes 9-12 were only in Hebrew. On the advice of the seller, we tried the disc on our computer and (for reasons I cannot understand) the disc played with the English subtitles! The final episodes (13-14), like all the others except for that one disc, play fine on the DVD player.

Indeed, even beyond high expectations. One of the most successful serials in recent years, much better made than its US remake Homeland. Israeli cinema in its best.

Magnificent scenario, great directing, excellent cast. Extremely enthralling, holds attention every second. Viewers are constantly under tension - what will happen in the next episode.

A real pleasure for the auditory, proof of the high potential of Israeli cinema in general. I personally very much hope its creators to make a third season, and will look forward to with anticipation of future pleasure. I hope be soon!

My review is based on two seasons, which is all that has been produced at the time of writing. I have not seen Homeland.

Two Israeli soldiers and a body are returned home after 17 years of captivity by a terrorist group in Syria. The details of the capture, imprisonment, and reactions in Israel draw on actual abductions, for example, Ron Arad, Gilad Shalit, Guy Hever (arguably), and others. The closest real-life Israeli parallel I can think of is the (mildly obscure) case of Massad Abu Toameh, who was kidnapped in Greece and secretly held in Syria for 14 years. There have been somewhat similar cases in the Arab world (not involving Israel) such as in Morocco, Syria, and Iraq. I wish I knew more about those, so I could better compare fiction to reality.

Season 1 follows the returnees and their families as they try to re- adapt to ordinary life, while gradually filling us in on what happened in captivity, some of which involved moral compromises and does not come into the light easily. It's gripping, and, as far as I can tell, fully plausible. Season 2 is more of a thriller, which I won't reveal the reason for. The second season contains significant implausibilities. Drew me in anyway.

Each season was made 3 years apart, and it shows.

Season 1 is a very detailed psychological study of 2 men who were gone for 17 years. It has some thriller elements but mostly, it's slow paced, methodical study that is finely weaved by the writer/director.

Season is two is mostly thriller, action. Much faster paced with many plot twists. Very different, overall but nevertheless enjoyable.

Overall, it's not an American version, and in some ways it's better, if you like slower pace, methodical narrative vs fast paced action, plot twists, and quite a bit of unrealistic action.

9/10 because ending left few questions unanswered, as if they expected s3 that never came.

I watched "Prisoners of War" because I had already watched the American TV series, "Homeland", which had taken inspiration from it. The first season lacks of action as it's all focused on the POWs (Prisoners of war) release and their return to family life. Therefore it's more psychological an introspective rather than gripping and suspenseful. However the first season sets the grounds for an amusing second one, where an entangled plot is little by little built up and than unraveled at the end. At a certain stage it's hard to tell who's siding with who and the curiosity of the spectator is more and more stronger. From the beginning to the end I wasn't enthusiastic about the setting, the middle east, probably because it's always associated with tough life and war. I also found surprising the outgoing personality of Israeli people that's depicted in this series.

This series is brilliant. The acting, the plot. I wish there were more as no programme has ever come close. Brilliant x 10

A tale of two contrasting seasons.

An Israeli drama series about prisoners of war released after 17 years in captivity. The first season shows they cope (or don't) with being back in society, of being reunited with their loved ones, of discovering all they've missed.

It starts off slow, which is understandable - their release and reintegration into society is a sensitive and emotional issue. However, Season 1 never really speeds up. Even after the initial period it still plods along. Some of the plot is necessary but there are quite a few unnecessary detours and melodramas. It starts to feel like a soap opera after a while.

Against the backdrop of the lives of the former prisoners, is a story of intrigue and espionage. This creates some degree of excitement, though there is a nagging suspicion all along that the intrigue is a touch contrived. The intrigue builds throughout the Season.

Season 2 is where it all gets tied up. The series moves from a melodrama to a thriller. Focus shifts to military and espionage- related matters. Much more exciting than Season 1, though the plot is far from watertight. Many scenes are contrived for dramatic effect.

Overall, a decent enough series. Not great - Season 1 was too slow and Season 2 too contrived, but good enough.

The US series Homeland is regarded as an adaptation of Prisoners of War - the writer of Prisoners of War, Gideon Raff, is even the executive producer of Homeland. However, other than the initial plot of a long-time prisoner of war returning home, and some of the espionage intrigue, there is very little commonality between the stories. I preferred Homeland: plot was tighter and faster-paced.

I have never been more fascinated by a TV show. When I first watched it I went by the title alone and thought it was a documentary on POW in WW2. I was wrong

I found the whole show absolutely compelling. I have also watched Homeland but hated that show, it was just too unreal. This one, however, seemed as realistic as a story could get and the only thing that disappointed me was that there wasn't a third series.

The twists and stories were so clever and the characters, and their reactions to events, seemed so genuine and real unlike Homeland.

The script was brilliant, the direction superb and the acting so realistic.

Just binge watched season 1 and 2 and can you say "gripping". POW is more about the impact of "captivity"; Both on the POW's and their loved ones. I thought each one the performances was excellent. NYT described the actors as "less than accomplished as compared to homeland". I beg to differ. This is method acting at its best..just because its in a foreign language does not make it any less "method acting" or sublime. This is definitely a psychological thriller more than anything. I love a good middle east story line but what I really liked was the way it took us into every day lives of Israelis in Jerusalem...

This is not for those who multitask when watching TV. Unless you understand Hebrew or Arabic, you have to pay attention. Literally. because its subtitled.

NYT also said it wouldn't do well in this market but I beg to differ..NARCOS on Netflix is also subtitled and people binge watched that show too.

I say "A good story is a good story" no matter what the language. If the actors connect to the material, and it comes through in their work then audiences will be touched.

Bravo Gideon Raff for both "Prisoners of War" and Homeland. Although I am curious to know if there is any chance that the producers would consider a season 3 ..perhaps to explore Yusuf aka Amie's and Sammy's characters...

Great writing, excellent acting, very captivating story

Excellent acting was what made this series, as well as the very interesting content and insight into the situation of Israel and its Arab neighbours. The guy playing Uri was brilliant - mulit-faceted and totally believable. I see he won an award. It was well deserved. Amiel may have overdone the inscrutability, though. It's true that it's slow and it's also true that it goes a bit silly during the action sequences towards the end - but wonderful nonetheless. (Homeland, in comparison, was superficial and too much based on tricks and annoying over-emoting.)

Slow paced show that grips you from the first scene. If you are looking for bombs and gunfights go for the American version "homeland" But if you want a treat of great cinema with characters built with precision and time that grows in drama and momentum go for this amazing and incredible tv show

If like me you enjoyed Homeland then you are in for an even better viewing experience. Prisoners of War is my watch of the decade. There has been some great Israeli films and TV series like Fauda for instance but this series stands head and shoulders above them all. Fantastic acting from Fantastic actors really brings this to life. Incredible storyline and I'm totally hooked 👌 it tells the story of survival of not only the returned soldiers but also the survival of those families that were left behind for 17 years having to fight for their release but also trying to keep some sort of normality within their daily lives whilst also dealing with the fallout from their neighbours personal views on how they should behave while their men are away. Believe me when i say this is probably the best tv series I've ever watched.

One of the greatest shows I've ever seen. Its pacing is a little slower than what you'd get with an "American production" but it's definitely worthwhile. I watched this after Homeland wrapped up and despite it being only two seasons long it's easily one of my all-time favorites. Without giving any spoilers I'll just say that its atmosphere is very similar to the first couple seasons of Homeland - it was it's inspiration afterall. Don't skip this one.

I gave it a 7 because 7.5 is not possible.

I watched this show not knowing it was related to Homeland, and that gave me a good perspective. Having watched Homeland later and enjoyed both, I can say that they're two completely different shows with only one thing in common - the return of prisoners of war.

This could've been a much better show, because the ingredients were all there, but maybe the next generation of Israeli TV shows will learn from Hatufim's mistakes.

The sets/lighting are very TV-y and amateurish. It's not as good as American TV nor as good as Israeli cinema. It looks low budget, and that's sad, because the story is great.

The story is too slow. I'm not looking for a bus chase, but the slowness is the wrong kind of slowness. It's not suspense, dialogues, facial expressions, music, letting a thought or an idea sink into the minds of the viewers - it's just slow. There are scenes that are too long, such as a character looking at photos on the internet or another looking for stuff in the trash. There's no reason why these scenes should be that long.

The music is nothing special. There's little use of music. There's some Arabasque Middle-Eastern themes, but it's a bit cliché and only gives us the idea that we're on the Syrian side - it has no mood or message. The soundtrack is anonymous and forgettable, when it could've been used to deliver a message.

The cinematography is mediocre. There are very few establishing shots. Lots of indoor scenes.

The torture scenes go too long and are repeated too often.

There's a lot of repetition in some themes, such as the suffering of one of the families.

The budget of the production was tiny, but cutting out repetition would not have cost much.

Having that said, the story is brilliant. The characters are great, well-written and the actors do a great job of portraying them. All those negatives I mentioned could not get in the way of a great story, which is what this is.

An actual remake of this that avoids those mistakes I highlighted would get a 9 or 10 from me. Homeland is not that remake - it's a different show with its own story and is in a separate genre. Homeland is more of an action/terrorsploitation show, while this show is a lot more subtle, more personal, more about the returnees and their families than "We have 24 hours to find the bomb." More action would not have made this show better. But this is a very, very good show and there's nothing like it on TV.

Really, I'd give Season 1 a "9" and Season 2 an "8" until the last two episodes when its just awful. They are so bad, it destroyed all credibility.

The version I watched was with sub-titles (my wife could understand the Hebrew and said the translation was lacking in many places). The acting throughout is excellent and here is where it differs from Homeland - we get to understand the characters much more and see more of their emotional lives.

Season 1 is excellent and the cliff hanger at the end is powerful. Season 2 leads you on the promise to explanation, but never delivers. It seems as if the script writers really lost their way - pity.

I agree with other reviewers that it was a little amateurish, not anywhere close to Homeland. Also the ending was sloppy & boring. It was a good concept of a story line though, with B type acting.