Catch Me a Killer

As a long-time fan of UK crime dramas, Scandi noir, Korean revenge films and series, this one piqued my attention. I'm nearly done with it and it's only been a couple days, so that's a good sign.

The series opens with a bit of a reference to Cracker (UK), and throughout there are touches of UK forensic psychology dramas like Wire in the Blood and Touch of Evil, as well as Prime Suspect for the resistance local police departments put up to psychological profiling and detective work.

The stories are all true. Most are just one episode, which is unfortunate insofar as there's less of the juicy build we are accustomed to with classic crime series. There's also a bit of rotation amongst the actors, as the crimes occur in different places.

These are not crimes that we get to try to solve - it's not a puzzle crime mystery series.

But if you've ever wondered if ScandiNoir can be done in a bright and sunny location, the answer would be yes.

Charlotte Hope does a fantastic job. Not unlike Holly Grainger's step up from her partner role in CB Strike to lead in The Capture (also good!).

An excellent watch and. Charlotte Hope was outstanding in her role of Micki Pretorius. The rest of the team was average, perhaps they performed their roles well because they were just like how the police were in the 90's in South Africa. The tint used in the filming befitted the 90's very well too.

With the personal problems which Micki developed because of the type of work as a profiler, the end of the mini series leaves a lot of gaps. But perhaps the producers did this on purpose to entice viewers to demand a continuation of this series. There are many more true stories which can be told, specifically about her life. But then again her role was probably fictitious in making this series.

I came across this series quite by accident & binge watched it. The cases were all different, very realistic & found the profiling fascinating. The main actress did an exceptional job portraying someone who was truly passionate about her line of work. The human aspect was compelling. The chain smoking was a little off putting, and as an ex-smoker I found it distracting, but I assume it was authentic, so I put up with it! It was interesting to see how the cases took over the profiler's life. That was sad, but I understand it. When you find work you're passionate about it can take over your life, at your own expense. I've been there! I'm on episode 10 & our profiler is really loosing it. I hope the last episode (the next one) leaves us with some sort of closure, but I'm preparing myself for the worst in case that doesn't happen. I've enjoyed the stores, dark as they are! Very realistic!

As a South African it always surprises me how much violent crime exists in South Africa and barely makes the news because in order to live and function in a hostile environment you don't want to be reminded just how bad it really is. I was surprised to learn of how many serial killers existed in South Africa without hearing about it in the news. The reality is violent crime in South Africa is some of the worst statistically speaking in the world. Also SA has the highest rape count in the world. This series is brilliantly done,the cinimatography the writing and the acting was impressive! 10/10 for me!

I like this show, it was better than I thought it would be, but it's hard to believe the science part in all of the storytelling. I know it's based on actual events, but I just can't imagine in 1994 she's allowed to walk right up to bodies smoking cigarettes with no gloves on. Not to mention, we get it, she smokes, but it doesn't need to be a thing every 5 minutes of every episode. BY the end of the season, they've literally wasted a half episode worth of time focussing on her smoking. She's also constantly handling evidence and moving in crime scenes smoking. It just doesn't make any sense, and I can't believe that's how the handled crime scenes in the mid to late 90s in South Africa. But she's good, the cast is solid, the stories are compelling, its beautifully shot, so it was a solid watch.