Despite having some masterful performances (Micanovic, Bandovic, Jasna Djuricic) and few fairly dramatic moments (even to those who've lived through the actual events of the show) - to show doesn't pack a punch is absolutely had to, and by the end of a very short series that feels rather rushed for the scope of the events it tries to portray - goes out with a whimper.
Not only do we have very basic 'get it over with' rendering of some of the most dramatic events in modern Serbian (even European) history and especially in the context of the show's title, but half way through the show we have considerably less believable and infinitely less dramatic fictional events taking over the show instead of actual, even fiction worthy stuff that indeed happened.
Fictional characters, amalgamated ones, were supposed the more relatable bridge into the often intertwined but largely foreign worlds of politics, organised crime, police and secret service etc. Instead, by episode 5 they become the whole focus of the story and actual events fall into the barely noticeable background.
To make things worse, out of three protagonists two are irredeemable and third is absolutely dislikable, insufferable even so watching their stories unfold seems like a chore, the most exciting one - the mafia kid, is the shortest out of three.
It came from the intent not to make universally despised mafia nor the politicians the protagonist of the show - an odd choice considering what the show is about, but it turned out to be bad idea and ended up completely moving the show away from the actual title operation 'Sabre' and into some random and generic fictional conspiracy involving equally fictitious and rather unremarkable characters.
In turn it turns a potent show into a generic mediocre crime drama that is never too bold or unpredictable. Simply put - not what we came here for.
