In my opinion, this production had the potential to be successful in the action film and series genre. Compared to Turkish action productions from twenty years ago, the difference is quite evident. However, the main issue here was whether this work could offer an original storyline. The audience has grown tired of seeing repetitive action productions, to the point of frustration. If this show had managed to present something original, it would have deserved a higher rating, despite its flaws in realism, which might have been overlooked by the audience to some extent.
Additionally, a production should not be judged solely based on its filming quality or effects. If it were, the shotgun scene in the ninth episode, with its jarring effects, loudly betrays a lack of cinematic depth. Returning to the main point, the true success of a production lies in its authentic and unique storyline.
Looking at this particular example, it fails not only in terms of its filming style but also due to its attempt to blend a low-budget Yesilcam drama with a Turkish rendition of John Wick, resulting in a sour taste for the audience. It's so blatantly derivative that the lack of originality and value becomes apparent even through the character-actor pairings.
For instance, the character "Usta" (Mehmet Ozgur) is a clear copy of the homeless character (Laurence Fishburne) from the John Wick series. In the original story, that character carried an air of mysticism, which I believe was a nod to the Matrix films. However, in this series, the "Usta" character is portrayed as a nearly divine figure, making the universe of the show feel excessively artificial. When comparing scenes, both productions address societal control, but in this series, the theme is so exaggerated that one can't help but imagine "Usta" tearing off his shirt to reveal a Superman costume underneath.
From the perspective of the cast and crew, some actors and contributors certainly deserve recognition for their efforts. Hard work should always be acknowledged. However, in a project of this caliber, a lack of originality is highly disappointing for the audience. Attempting to imitate a highly successful production like John Wick while failing to deliver an original take is simply unacceptable.
This series, which seemingly aimed to critique the system, unfortunately the Cirak fails on the class in this field. To sum up, this production fails miserably when compared to the system it attempts to challenge:
System 1 - Cirak 0.
