Le indagini di Belascoarán

A cookie -cutter murder mystery made for the American audiences. Some gore, some drama, an oh-so-good guy, an oh-so-corrupt policeman and, of course an oh-so-gorgeous (and brave!) girl. The evil guy is also extremely stereotypical.

Of course it is on Netflix - and the quality of films on Netflix is continuously going down.

South American cinema has so many gems, but Netfilx chooses just the ones that don't require much thinking. (As a matter of fact, low IQ seems to be a requirement for Netflix films.) I have been fooled again by high IMDB ratings and glowing reviews. Don't waste your time with this mediocre film.

My first thought: Oh dear, a crime series from Mexico. And then I was pleasantly surprised. Exciting, with the right pinch of humor and imaginative. And with really good actors.

Yes, you can also produce good series away from Hollywood. At least under the aegis of Netflix. As already proven by Narcos.

Hector Belascoaran Shayne, a well-heeled engineer, quits his job, leaves his wife and tries his hand at private investigation. And his first case is a vicious wife-killer. Not quite new the story of the first episode, but well interpreted.

The atmosphere of the series, set in the 1970s, is also appealing.

With the English dubbing it came across to me like one of those American 1950's detective shows where the main character narrates as well as acts. Difference being it's modern and Mexican.

I'm not sure how much comedy is intentional and how much is due to the English dubbing.

So far each episode which is lengthy is a different case.

Stories aren't overly original but other than the obvious cliche they seem to avoid them.

Cast is good, acting is ok.

Unlike other Mexican and Brazilian series it's not a soapie and isn't slow paced at all.

To be honest I hadn't planned on watching but it came up on Netflix and was glad I hit play.

More a 7.5 than a 7/10.

Breezy, fast-paced. This is one film that doesn't take itself seriously and it works. The viewer is entertained as a result. The cases that Belascoaran works on are not really difficult and sans dizzying twists. But they are engaging and the viewer follows the stories enthusiastically till the end.

The film shows how he tackles each case: with aplomb and comedic touch. The illustrations that overlay the screen to further explain the cases Belascoaran is working on are cleverly done. This, as well as funny Silverio Palacios, as Belascoaran's casual sidekick Gilberto, add to the film's playful quality.

The actors, particularly Luis Gerardo Mendez, dish out realistic portrayals of their roles; nothing is cheesy or grandstanding.

As detective stories go, this one has a better vibe than "The Poison Rose" (2019) starring John Travolta.

Mexico can guarantee a reality stranger than fiction, although Belascoarán does it's best to prove otherwise.

This 8/10 is completely biased, being a Chilango myself, albeit from a very critical viewer. The casting, dialogue, and settings are all exceptional, believable, immersive, even for what most would think is a surrealist storyline.

I've never read the 70's novels, or heard of them until this Netflix series dropped, I'd like to think that they've been seamlessly transported onto the silver screen.

This is a series that doesn't pretend to be anything other than good humoured entertainment with a romantic flare of the little guy standing up against evil.

I hope that these three episodes are just the beginning of an epic journey.