User Reviews

The Marx Brothers made a film of that title 90 years ago, and in US slang it means 'nonsense'.

Unfortunately the usual brilliant cast had to work with this complete scrambled mess of a plot, which starts with a dead horse, as bereft of life as a Norwegian Blue, and just goes downhill from there. The cast did their best, but series 7 continues to decline.

And when a magnificent meal was served by Enzo at his beachfront restaurant, we never got to find out what it was. The gastronomic delights really are becoming the best bit of this series!

I will try to find positives for this one, but I need to think very hard.... Yes. There is a brief bit of brilliant by-play between Salvo and Catarella, who cannot help but overhear as Salvo talks on the phone right in front of him, conversing with a woman. This really stole the show for me, as there was not a lot else, but that is just enough to score 6/10 Let's just leave it at that.

Love detective mystery dramas, particularly those from the UK and US ('Inspector Morse', 'A Touch of Frost', 'Foyle's War', 'Inspector George Gently', 'Midsomer Murders', 'Law and Order', 'Criminal Minds', 'Monk' and 'Murder She Wrote' for examples,, and non-English/American ones (i.e. The Swedish 'Wallander' and the Danish 'The Killing') also fascinate me.

'Inspector Montalbano' is one of the best and most entertaining examples. It is not easy breathing freshness into a well-worn genre but 'Inspector Montalbano' manages to do so with aplomb. Watching 'Inspector Montalbano' is like eating a delicious Italian meal that immensely satisfies and leaves you wanting more. There may be very familiar tropes, but in a way it's inevitable and doesn't detract from the enjoyment at all.

Even when 'Inspector Montalbano' is not at its best, which is the case with "The Track of Sand", it is still a heck of a lot better than most shows at their worst. Again that's the case with "The Track of Sand". There are episodes that are consistently easier to follow, the case here is intriguing and entertains and challenges with some nicely done twists, but there were parts that did come over as a little too over-complicated and gave off the sense that the episode was trying to do too much.

One always expects 'Inspector Montalbano' to look good. As always with 'Inspector Montalbano', "The Track of Sand" is beautifully shot and the scenery is stunning, making those who've never been to Italy want to book a holiday there as soon as possible and is a treat for anybody who loves all things Italian. The music is never over-bearing or low-key with a nice atmosphere and flavour, a lot of it is very cleverly used. The sound effects are remarkably authentic.

Writing is tightly structured and taut, with very funny to hilarious humour (count me in as another person who found Catarella's mispronouncing of Rachele's full name hilarious), nice tension and Montalbano's complicated personal life dealt with affectingly.

Characters may be stereotypes but well-written ones, especially one of the most fascinating foreign detective mystery dramas titular characters there is to me and the scene-stealing Catarella (hilarious comic relief but more than that). The supporting characters are well written, especially Rachele.

Acting is terrific, especially from Luca Zingaretti who is a treasure in the title role, having a perfect balance of comedy and drama and playing it straight while always engaging with his material. Angelo Russo's comic timing is a refreshing and always perfectly timed joy. Cesare Bocci is solid, and there is charming support from Isabell Sollman and particularly Mandala Tayde.

Summing up, over-complicated at times but engrossing. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Sometimes murder mysteries are broadcast whose plots are so complicated that they are simply incomprehensible to viewers. This is the case with "La Pista di Sabba." Suffice to say that the plot involves a dead horse, a woman of suspect morality who happens to be a friend of Ingrid (Isabell Sollman), the Mafia, and a man shot in self-defense by Agente Galluzio (Davide Lo Verde).

In thematic terms, this episode looks to have run out of ideas: there are plot-developments which have already been used in previous episodes of MONTALBANO, such as the seduction of the eponymous central character (Luca Zingaretti) by a beautiful woman, putting his relationship with the long-suffering Livia in doubt. The interplay between Montalbano and Catarella (Angelo Russo) tends to be irritating rather than humorous: we wish that the junior police officer wasn't quite so terrible at mispronouncing names. Oh, and we must not forget the old chestnut of Mimi Augello's (Cesare Bocci's) wandering eye, despite being happily married with a child.

Perhaps the most disappointing episode of the entire series so far, "La Pista di Sabba" feels like a palimpsest of clichés already over- used in previous episodes.