Reviews

This movie started quite well; indeed the opening scene was for me the best of the flick. Sadly it was a long slow downhill from there with all the slapstick gore becoming tiresome pretty quick. Ultimately I never even finished the thing and ended up watching a Euro drama instead which was far more interesting. The actors actually did a fine job with the try-hard script but to call it "muddled" would be an understatement. Christ! I've still got 90 characters to babble on about this wretched movie! Even Joaquin Phoenix would have struggled to pull this one out of the muck if in it more. There characters satisfied! Still....we all love gore don't we?? Oh yes we're addicted indeed!

As this film progressed I believed I was not only watching a movie about the tragic events of 1990 but also one of under-funded and seriously under-trained police. It appeared to be a main theme of the flick with serious bad decision making by them appearing quite frequently. This included not having the right communications equipment, losing car keys, a complete inability to secure at least 2 people shot who subsequently died and of course not taking a shot at the gunman when he was in clear sight. Those people who died needlessly of their wounds because of poor police ability in securing them was particularly galling.

Therefore I waited for the end of the movie in expectation of how the terrible events in Aramoana led to an improvement in police practices. No such information was forthcoming. Remarkably in fact quite the opposite happened with a list of accolades bestowed on police which, according to the movie portrayal at least, possibly wasn't deserved. It was error after error from them and the fact that this wasn't explained in the ending credits to me was a real insult to the families of those who lost loved ones in this shooting.

This series for me started off well as it was done in a rather light hearted and comical manner. As it wore on though a seriousness seeped in which I considered a let down. Perhaps I'm a little young to fully consider the implications of events 80 years ago but I'll quote a 2013 article in the "New Yorker" magazine. "Young Germans today consider Adolf Hitler to be a buffoonish and somewhat comical figure; and one associated with a certain black humour".

I was hoping for such a comical vibe throughout the entire season. Students today dress up as crazed Roman Emperors at toga parties and no doubt the mad figures of the 20th centuries will be represented in the same fashion.