Reviews

Please discount all the snide comments by critics about Helen Mirren's prosthetics. Golda is the most underestimated film and Mirren's the most underestimated performance I have encountered in decades of move watching. Mirren's performance is an act of homage- you forget that it is Mirren- what you see is Golda. She is right up there with Philip Seymour Hoffman's best actor Oscar for his portrayal of Capote. What Meir was going through during the Yom Kippur war is not spelled out- it is shown. The dialogue captures the crisp, spare way that Israelis talk. Short sentences that are direct and unqualified. Forget the petty, clever putdowns and see this remarkable movie for yourself.

The only reason this series is not far better known is that it is a Canadian production and the setting is Canadian - Montreal from 2011 to 2015- instead of American. But if you want three dimensional characters instead of cardboard heroes and villains, realism about the tragic and sad lives of those who encounter the police, story lines that make every episode memorable, and first rate acting all around, then this is the police drama you want to watch. No one is written off in this drama- even those officers who commit despicable acts- their actions are not sugar coated but you feel you have a deeper understanding of why they did what they did. The interplay between the two central characters is never dull- never cliched. I have watched both the French and the English versions of this show- While I was enthralled by both , I found the French version grittier, deeper, and ultimately more satisfying. And I say this as an anglophone.