Westwall

The New Front (Westwall): German television miniseries. A woman is training street kids to be assassins and soldiers. She and her her minions are being used by a higher level Neo-Nazi conspiracy to foment violence to overthrow the existing constitutional order. False Flag operations are on the agenda. A renegade German Intelligence faction is using a defector from the young rascals to undermine their activities. But why is he being used to seduce a young police trainee? Another faction of German Intelligence is involved with both the street kids and overarching conspiracy. How all of these strands link together is teased out over six episodes. Disturbingly violent at times as a 13 year old is used as an assassin and bullying is rife among the young killers is. Explosions, killings and shootings permeate this sophisticated political conspiracy thriller which has a few interesting plot twists. Directed by Isa Prahl, Screenplay by Benedikt Gollhardt adapted from his novel Westwall. 8/10.

I was so glad to see that the gorgeous Jannik Schümann was in this. He didn't disappoint fo a second, cast as the reformed fascist strung along by rogue elements of the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV), the German equivalent of the UK's MI5.

The series didn't pull any punches either. Sympathetic characters got bumped off as well as horrid ones. It was quite upsetting at times.

As the episodes unfolded, it became clear as to why Julia Gerhoff was so integral to the plot and the ever deepening intrigue around her.

One thing that jarred was a plot device that's so hoary and overused that it gets me really angry. If you somehow get the better of a homicidal, pathological maniac who's trying to kill you, for goodness sake make sure when he's down that he stays down with no possibility to get up again. I realise that this was done here to set up a second season (which never materialised) but can't scriptwriters think of a better way?

That apart I enjoyed this series very much and recommend it.