The twisting, real-life story of Charles Sobhraj, a murderer, thief and seductive master of disguise, who was a hidden darkness in the mid-70's on Asia's hippie trail.The twisting, real-life story of Charles Sobhraj, a murderer, thief and seductive master of disguise, who was a hidden darkness in the mid-70's on Asia's hippie trail.The twisting, real-life story of Charles Sobhraj, a murderer, thief and seductive master of disguise, who was a hidden darkness in the mid-70's on Asia's hippie trail.
- Nominated for 2 BAFTA Awards
- 13 nominations total
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Excellent, gripping drama. Well acted throughout. The story would be unbelievable if it were not true! Some reviews have pointed out the frequent timeline jumping. I personally found that watching it as a "box set" seemed to lessen that feeling. A refreshing change to see a work of such high quality from BBC these days!
Superb acting from the leads. Phenomenal costume and set design, and a great score.
You're skin crawls from the sheer creepiness of Charles Sohbraj the pure Sociopath.
This is a tense and gripping drama and the time hopping device is used to great effect as it underlines a cat and mouse came that spans across 5 or 6 countries over 20 years plus. Other reviewers said this instilled confusion and detracted from the plot... but it doesn't.... It enhances it as it keeps things flowing and on edge.
If you enjoy simple mindless and linear storytelling... watch Cobra Kai (which is still great).
This was a quality series that grips from beginning to end.
You're skin crawls from the sheer creepiness of Charles Sohbraj the pure Sociopath.
This is a tense and gripping drama and the time hopping device is used to great effect as it underlines a cat and mouse came that spans across 5 or 6 countries over 20 years plus. Other reviewers said this instilled confusion and detracted from the plot... but it doesn't.... It enhances it as it keeps things flowing and on edge.
If you enjoy simple mindless and linear storytelling... watch Cobra Kai (which is still great).
This was a quality series that grips from beginning to end.
Thrilling show. Really gets me in the feeling of the 70's.
Only disappointing thing is 'knippenberg' speaking Dutch. Why not choose a Dutch actor for this role, or just skip the speaking bad Dutch part.
Only disappointing thing is 'knippenberg' speaking Dutch. Why not choose a Dutch actor for this role, or just skip the speaking bad Dutch part.
This is well done and well acted. A grade A production. Its only flaw is the bouncing timeline. It is hard enough to pay attention with subtitles, let alone with the timeline going back and forth. Entertaining but NOT a relaxing watch. I'd advise you to learn French or take up speed reading because during fast exchanges of dialogue, those subtitles fly by fast.
Half a point off for the bad wigs.
Half a point off for the bad wigs.
The series is suspenseful, but what really irritated the hell out of me is van Knippenberg's accent when he speaks Dutch, there would've been several really good Dutch actors that could've pkayed his part. A big let down for my concern.
Did you know
- TriviaBased on a true story, Charles Sobhraj was dubbed 'The Serpent' due to his conniving ways and constant escape from reprimand. He was also nicknamed the 'Bikini Killer' due to the clothing worn by his victims.
- GoofsAll the dialogues between William Brand (Ambassador van Dongen) and Billy Howle (Herman Knippenberg) are in genuine and comprehensible Dutch, though their pronunciation and intonation make it evident they don't really master the language.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Jeremy Vine: Episode #4.10 (2021)
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