hizman

Some remakes are good. Some are even great. This one is neither.

I did try to stay open-minded. I survived 15 minutes of watching. The Aussie dude had charisma and that unbeatable confidence about him no matter what. That smart creativity and ability to enjoy life whatever the circumstance. This poor fella does act like a looser. No joy, no creativity, no intelligence. I do like the actor. It's just not his character.

There is an American show like the original Rake AU — Boston Legal. Not identical but same adventure spirit.

Just 1 star does not give justice though. It is okay to watch on a sofa with beer on a TV when nothing else is available. But for download, better new shows are available.

I thoroughly enjoyed the show. It was educational to get into postwar Odessa. The local Jewish slang is definitely the most entertaining part. Check out the show's page at Wikipedia for a list of those great quotes.

Of course, nothing is ever perfect with historical movies. Especially, details. Still, the makers apparently did their best to render the minds and hearts of people on both sides of the regime. Frankly, I was surprised by such fairness.

This is a highly advisable watch for admirers of the Russian/Ukrainian Jewish culture, linguists, and certainly the Odessites themselves. Also, for the fans of Mashkov and Porechenkov like myself.

Definitely, a good watching both for Christians and other folks concerned with such matters as destiny, karma, God, signs, calling, etc.

I first rated the show 10 because got so excited about the plot but then had to downgrade to 8 because of some flaws with characters due to the secularism of the script authors.

If not the Biblical story and characters behind this show, it would come 6 out of 10. But it's just amazing how inspiring and even edifying a show becomes once you insert the Scripture. Also, the contemporary wrappings (our times and things look like America) make it more appealing and relevant.

The authors did alter story lines and only the general figures of the account from the books of Samuel and Kings were preserved. I guess that even helped the show. Otherwise, things would be too predictable. It's nice that some authentic spiritual principles were represented - signs from God were treated properly, matters of sacrifice and character, great deal of grace/mercy on the part of God who is still the judge, etc. Another possibly positive factor is that the producers are not hardcore Protestants who would inevitably make the product sterile and merely black and white.

On the other side, the spiritual side is somewhat shallow and obviously lacks the understanding of how men and God interact and communicate. Those who biblically are men of faith - here, sometimes appear merely as doubting liberals, always confused and ignorant of the ways of God. Some totally unreligious Hollywood films once in a while come up with characters way too deeper and stronger in faith.

Still, thoroughly enjoyed the first season and looking forward to the second one if it ever is produced.