User reviews

Well, I guess this show has the answer to the question... As a french native speaker, I obviously watched it in its original version, and I have been nothing of flabbergasted by the lack of professionalism displayed by most, if not all the actresses and actors involved.

I liked the first 2 seasons though, because their plots were quite good, with a lot of twists and turns. But on season 3, the horrendous acting ruined it for me.

The main character Chloe, gosh.... Not only does she look obnoxiously unattractive and unpleasant, but I felt she was reading lines from a prompter. The rest of the cast doesn't do much better, though.

The previously child molester now become "brother Guy" is absolutely ridiculous. If hamming it up were an Olympic discipline, he'd probably strike gold. Who acts like that? Where did they find that shipwreck of a cast???

Psychopathic child murderer Guy Beranger is released from prison into the care of monks in an abbey. The Local villagers' justifiable fear for their children's' safety is realised when children begin to go missing. This 10 part Belgian thriller with its brooding characters took a little while to hook me in, but as the story unfolded the pace picked up. The seemingly austere Inspector assigned to protecting Beranger has her own demons from her past to deal with. Great setting for such a story (an isolated village in the Ardennes forest) - an area about which I knew nothing. The ending left a possible opening for a second series. Recommended

A great series to binge on. Loved the interesting cast, plausible scenarios and measured violence. Such a pleasant change from the many formulaic series that Netflix is dishing out at the moment.

Very much enjoyed the series. Two seasons is not enough. Thoughtful and well crafted narrative...sub plots integrated well with main thread...with few errors...yes the Belgian police need training but they're shown as human beings with all their weaknesses. Some townsfolk seem stereotypical as if out of some primeval neanderthal era...but reality matters and they can be redeemed at least some can... the social workers and other bureaucrats are shown in a sinister way as they should be...the performances rise to perfection. Yes. We need a 3rd and 4th season. Bravo. Another excellent Belgian series.

I've watched the first 2 series, assume there will be a third since it was left up in the air. Like some other reviewers I found the police behaviour a bit on the crazy side, always going off doing dangerous things with no backup, ignoring obvious clues, no strategy just always responding to the next weird thing. Also, so many killed but still only a few locals doing all the leg work? Other than a random riot squad who showed up out of nowhere and then disappeared again, I would have expected a national response. All a bit annoying.

But other than that I really enjoyed this show, the 1st series more than the 2nd which was much slower. I did fast forward through a bit of the gratuitious anxiety provoking scenes in the 2nd series, predictable outcomes.

The serial killer, not sure of the name of the actor, played such a tremendous part. He was so creepy, yet somehow increasingly likeable. Some of the actions of some of the characters just seemed a bit unbelievable. Emile's mum being the main one. But generally I enjoyed the slow reveal of characters back stories and the character development as both series progressed.

The scenery and music were wonderful. The story generally was good. The acting perfectly fine. Well worth a look, just don't get hung up on the quality, or otherwise, of the policing.

Having recently watched La Trêve and it was to me liking, I was referred to Ennemi public. Well, I had some reservations at first, due to its background topic (based on media coverage, Belgium is apparently the most pedophile-sensitive country in the world), but thankfully, the real events did not have the signs of this horrible sort of crime. The inclusion of monastery scenes was distinct, the performers pleasant and up to their task (particularly Stephanie Blanchoud as Chloe Muller and the men depicting the Stassarts), and the wrongdoer´s person was not revealed too soon... Beatutiful Vallonian nature was a nice supporting actor, extra emphasizing the general mood and "demons" of people living in a distant community.

All in all, a good series, but still a bit less catchy to me than La Trêve where tenseness was higher and you could focus more on the present events rather than compare and assess bad things from the past.

Public Enemy (French: Ennemi Public) is a Belgian French-language crime thriller based loosely on the Marc Dutroux case. A child killer, Béranger (Angelo Bison) is released after 30 years into the care of a Abbey in the Ardennes near Vielsart,. The monks are divided as to whether or not he should be accepted into the order. When children in the area are killed, naturally suspicion falls on. Overseeing the case is Brussels detective Chloe Muller (Stéphanie C), she has her own demons, her sister disappeared more than 20 years ago. The inhabitants of Vielsart, provide their own dramas, with families divided. Indeed families are crucial to this narrative, families of monks, of police officers of cult members. Chloe's missing sister provides a story arc over the three seasons of this series, as does a strange religious cult. .The Abbey and Beranger are also central to the tale. A dark series with disturbing themes, violence and murders. Great performances from Bison. Vielsart, and an ensemble cast. The gloomy Ardennes forests could also be regarded as stars. Created by Antoine Bours, Gilles de Voghel, Matthieu Frances and Christopher Yates. On Netflix. 9/10.

I pretty much totally forgot 90 per cent of Season 1, which tells you something. Season 2 is a slow-motion disaster. Utter poppycock is treated with utmost gravitas. Nothing and no one is remotely believable. Worst--and repeatedly--idiotic police work is used to lurch the plot forward. If you saw an open trap door into a creepy subterranean chamber, and you were all alone miles from nowhere, well, sure, you would go down there without so much as texting someone, wouldn't you? And it just gets worse. Nice theme song, though.

I bought the dvd of series 1 not knowing if I would like it. But just watched 10 hours in one go,I loved it. I found it unpredictable and gripping. Some critics feel the story is unrealistic but it did not bother me. People say this is based on real events and it may be but it requires no prior knowledge to enjoy it. If you like a detective mystery and don't mind subtitles or can speak French seek this one out.

No pun intended - can a person really change who he or she is deep inside? The show explores quite the depths of psychological drama - and demons or whatever you would call them. That's even crazier considering where one of the main characters ends up in at the beginning of the show - not that all of the church establishments have a good reputation (even less so, if you are cynical).

It looked like there was a big cliffhanger after two seasons - and Netflix seems to consider the final season as a standalone thing. But it is important to the overall story of all the important characters ... and how they deal with stuff. With new issues and crimes coming up. How much can you trust a criminal? How far is a cop supposed to go ... before going over the edge with all ... the psychological ups and downs this showcases ... the relationships of all involved ... even more showcased since we are talking of a small community ... you have to be into that stuff ... but if you are ... well there is a lot to like here ... if you can use that term of course.

This is a good series, well acted and directed. The camera work is excellent. The writing is mostly OK but veers too often into obvious plot tricks that become tiresome over the two seasons. The writer's habit of using miscommunication becomes repetitive.

But the biggest knock for me are the characters: there is hardly a single character with which to empathize. They are a singularly awful bunch of nasty, solemn, moronic jerks.

The director doesn't help but not allowing a smile or a joke to alleviate the ominous pressure, causing a sort of boredom with the overwhelmingly vile nature of Belgian and France rural folk.

I really like this mini series or whatever you want to call it. The berger branger berengerac thingy character is great, very silence of lambsy-esc.

Unfortunately the lead, even after the first 2 seasons, is all over the place with her acting. The hospital ICU scene is terrible, one moment aggressive, the next with the puppy dog face as she awaits the baddy to write something. I get the reason why she would feel emotional and desperate for some info (technically) , but, for me the point is that any (supposedly) developed character should display consistency. Sure, that will undulate, but to bi polar style back and forth is REALLY annoying for the viewer; and it happens in this series all, the, time. Camera moves away, then cuts back to her and hey presto we're presented with a completely different character.

It severely lacks professionalism, and screams amateur. It begs the question, hmm, how did exactly, did she land this part? Hmm.

Look at all (and there are LOADS) of female euro/scandy detective drama leads, and they present strong, well developed and CONSISTENT characters through good ACTING.

Unfortunately we increasingly live in a world of lower standards, where a piece of paper says (supposedly) that you are good at something. Chortle... , yeah Right!

If you want to see brilliant acting, look at leo caprio in my own private idaho.

I found this show intriguing. You couldn't figure out the "whodunnit " until late in the show. I am looking forward to next season.

My problem with this show is that they missed it on a few key things. This is a review of season 1. A child killer is running around however parents are just letting kids ride bikes in the woods? I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be happening. The second thing is that all these killings just start happening when the guy is released to the abbey? If there were many killers around, wouldn't they be killing before his release? 3rd, why is this cop not thinking that this guy is responsible for her sisters death? Anyways, just giving some key points without giving away anything. It just doesn't seem they thought this through well enough in production.

Public Enemy, a very dark and very well constructed Belgian series, In a village in the Ardennes, where almost everyone knows each other and the community atmosphere is very present, with some lovely moments and some humor, perhaps to lighten the topic. I did like it!

The series succeeds in developing and increasing the mystery, the murders of children.

This crime drama series has achieved international recognition. In terms of optics and the intense tone, the series deals with a very strong theme.

It is a quite unknown series that proves to be absolutely a must watch. Varied plots, a great casting of characters and the convincing technical aspects have ensured the popularity of "Public Enemy" for good reason. In addition, the series also dares to make very unpleasant decisions.

I found the role of Beranger, by the actor Angelo Bison, very interesting, a character with great intensity, calm, intense and meticulous, with an antisocial and, above all, psychopathic personality. His character revolves around the question of whether people deserve a second chance. At first it took me a little while to get used to the way he looked at people, with his eyes so open, but I got used to it quickly and it was quite scary.

The ending left me a little disappointed. Just because I believe that a child murderer will never change, I believe in change for sure, but only in some cases, and not at this level. A person like this has no right to life, in any sense, not even in prison.

Apart from some unnecessary cliches, this series has left me with a very positive impression. It has many ups and downs, several surprises and a lot of density and it is very very exciting. Don't miss this one!

I really wanted to like this show but there were so many issues. The plot doesn't make sense and so many holes in it. The pace is extremely slow just to make a simple plot more complicated and prolong the series.

The series have potential in character development but at the end they failed to exploit that. The 'action' part of the series is just painful to watch. I was wondering if police squad in Belgium is really that stupid.

I assume there will be third season. I hope it will be better than the first two.

Has anyone else noticed the scenes from jaws in each episode? I have only watched 2 episodes of the first serires - in the first the lady slaps the the cop - just like cheif Brody and in the second the little girl copies her at dinner - like chief Brodys little son... is it just me or is there a little homage going on?

I like how the mystery played out, all the clues left behind to keep me guessing, all the plot-twists and reveals. Everything happened at a good pacing that kept me hooked. It was fun to watch the first season.

The acting was really good on all fronts. I love it when films have actors of various age groups, they all manage to play those characters really well and make me believe they are those characters. What makes this movie great were all the child actors who did such a superb job!

I was looking forward to the second season, but gave up part-way through because the magic of the mystery was lost to me. I wish it had done what other European dramas do - each season has a new mystery with a new set of characters.

I've watched my way through almost all of the Scandinavian, Finnish, English, Polish, German, Welsh, Dutch-Belgian and French language crime dramas Netflix has to offer, and nearly all have been enjoyable or even great. This one, however, is an exception. If I wasn't a glutton for self-punishment (as in, once I've started a show, unless it's the absolute worst thing I've ever seen, I begrudgingly finish it), I would have stopped on EP 2. But, since there were a few redeeming qualities, I made it through season 1, and will try to get through 2.

The story was a bit plodding and slow, but that was bearable. The plot itself is a decent one, and there is some amount of intrigue from the who-dunnit perspective that both help make the slow plot palatable. This is harmed, however, to a great extent, by the sheer and absolute idiocy of the main protagonist. We're it not for the also redeeming factor of a few other somewhat interesting characters, I wouldn't have made it through the suffering that is watching the character of Chloe Muller act and "think", which she actually does very little of. She's a terrible cop, absolutely unfit for duty due to some mental issues that would certainly endanger lives in real life. To make it worse, she's also dumb as rocks-and not only that, but also 100% reactive. It's through sheer dumb luck that any resolution is achieved at all, but it seems as though we're supposed to accept that it's due to her no-rules attitude. This is worsened by the fact that the actress never manages to portray a too-cool-for-rules demeanor to compensate for her character's lack of intelligence, instead only making faces of confusion, or perhaps of constipation or maybe pain. It was so bad that by the end of season 1 I was having difficulty not hating her face too. Overall, basically, only watch it if you've nothing left on your list to watch. As I said, some of the supporting characters help lighten the distaste the main protagonist creates. But there are certainly many better crime dramas available on Netflix both from Belgium and beyond.

Edit: Season 2 is proving to be much better. There is less of Chloe Muller, and when she's there, her errors are more forgivable. The story around some of the other more enjoyable characters has picked up and continued on as well. That said, it's still something I'm watching more just to be done with, rather than something I look forward to seeing each night. If the first season were not made so atrocious by the things previously commented on, I would raise my rating to a 5/10. But since they make you suffer to get to a place you might reward those extra 3 tenths, I'll have to keep it at a 2/10.