Mandamentos de um Serial Killer

I've enjoyed much Belgian crime TV series in the past, such as "The Break", "Salamander", "De Dag" and others, so I was eager to watch "13 Commandments" (original title: "13 Geboden") even though it is a rather lengthy show for my taste (13 episodes in total). The story is a classic serial-killer police procedural with a killer nicknamed "Moses" by the press who tortures his victims without killing them but leaving them traumatised and scarred for life. The plot is moving forward in a fast tempo and there is a colossal twist in episode 10 that leaves the viewer aghast. After that, you see the story through a totally different perspective. While it sounds, and on a certain level truly is, another formulaic crime show, "13 Commandments" has some merits that make it stand out in a positive way. The characters are nicely outlined, especially the two protagonists, Peter and Vicky, each having their own problems and troubled past. Furthermore, I found Dirk van Dijck's performance as Peter to be outstanding and after finishing watching this one, I instantly searched his filmography in order to see more of his work. The production values of the show are at a high level, as always in the Belgian cinema and television productions and overall I can safely say that "13 Commandments" is a binge-worthy series and many of you will watch it in one or two sittings.

This thirteen part Belgian crime thriller sees the police searching for an attacker who has been targeting people based on the Ten Commandments; each attack is accompanied by the appropriate commandment. While the attacks are brutal they are not fatal... that of course would break the commandment against killing. The attacker, dubbed 'Mozes' gains some sympathy amongst those who believe society has moved too far from Christian Ideals. The investigation is led by Peter Devriendt and his new partner Vicky Degraeve; each of whom have their own problems. Peter's daughter seems to be somewhat off the rails and Vicky's mother is in hospital with no chance of recovery following a car accident some time before. As the investigation progresses there are inevitably some false leads and Vicky finds herself in real danger.

Early on it looks as if this may be a Belgian 'Seven' but beyond the religious inspiration there are key differences; most notably that Mozes isn't a killer; something that makes a refreshing change amongst all the serial killer stories... that isn't to say he isn't brutal; his victims aren't going to fully recover. Towards the end things do get a bit melodramatic and there is a twist that some may feel goes too far. While some characters feel that Mozes's actions are justified the series makes it fairly clear that the creators don't expect viewers to sympathise with him too. The cast does a fine job with Dirk van Dijck and Marie Vinck impressing as Peter and Vicky; there is also in impressive supporting cast. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to anybody wanting a fairly dark crime drama.

These comments are based on watching the series in Dutch with English subtitles.

I enjoyed this noir crime series because they were finely produced. The locations, the dark theme scenes in line with the subject, the outstanding performance of Mr Van Dijck, everything looked natural including the surprising turn of events, secondary murky characters and places. I got trapped and gobbled up the 13 chapters. It gets better on the last three episodes. I could anticipate the ending but no the last minute. Smart script.

This is stellar noir crime. What starts as the usual serial killer flick becomes soon an intense and very gripping masterpiece. The story evolves in small steps and what looks like loose ends are ultimately cleverly connected. There are many twists and turns but not for the pure sake of it but it just reminds you to never believe what u see on the 1st glance. There is way more in 13C. besides to figure out who is the killer. It really makes u think and questions pop up the likes of ... what if he's right ? You will see the abyss in people's mind & behavior and this will leave u sometimes speechless. All actors do a great job and I also liked the setting and light - it supports the twilight zone atmosphere. If you're up for something real and are done with high polished and sleek massmarket tv crime I can highly recommend this superb crime/drama! The only reason I left 1 star off was the very last scene which I found personally a bit bland compared to the overall greatness of the show.

Just finished the series and absolutely loved it. In fact, it is 3.30am right now because I just had to finish the series tonight. There are several twists that I really didn't see coming, and the show really takes you on a journey with Moses and even makes you stop and reconsider your own views. The character development is subtle but definitely there and the main cast is excellent, especially the male and female lead. It is a slower paced show like many of these foreign crime shows, but that doesn't mean boring. It is quite gripping and tells the story well. Great story characters and cast!