The Brazilians have filmed a series so strong, about a detective, a police officer and an armed gang, that it is incomprehensible why they could not find a good title for it. The original (DNA do Crime) or English (Criminal Code) version is also wobbly, although the Brazilian version is at least closer to reality (DNA data plays an important role in the series), but the Hungarian version is an outright tragedy: Code is an honor.
Anyway, we shouldn’t look at the title after all. Fortunately, the story has been realized much better than what we often attach (with a strong and unnecessary bias thanks to TV series) to Brazilian films (the job Also what a beautiful career he had) and
the Code of honor It follows the best traditions of the best French and Spanish crime series.
In other words, it can be enjoyed privately. It shows that a lot of money was spent on it (Netflix has never released this much money for a series set in Brazil), and even though the story is set on the border between Brazil and Paraguay, it shows the work of law enforcement there (based on the events that took place ), its visuals and dramaturgy are very different from the world of Brazilian cinematic life, and perhaps it wants to conform too much to the expectations of “Western” film production and viewer habits, but the result is good.
What’s worth knowing about the story – there will be no spoilers – is that federal investigator Benicio (Romulo Braga) wants revenge on a gang, specifically on a criminal called Soulless (played by Tomas Aquino), because he killed his partner, and this links the feds to his operation to find gang members. A bank robbery, which also involved two countries.
Brazilian reality
Since the story is based on true events, you can feel that the creators (Heitor Dhaila, Leonardo Levis) couldn’t stray too far from reality, but that’s definitely in the series’ favor. Because it makes it look authentic.
The casting could not have been easy, and in the case of the main character in particular, it may not have necessarily been successful. Braga is a character actor, strong and tough, there is no problem with that, but with his acting. It’s as if, in his case, this was sacrificed for the sake of imagery (and a sense of authenticity) rather than expressing and showing his feelings. Braga’s virtuosity is similar to that of Steven Seagal, and he has the added bonus of looking a lot like Liev Schreiber (actually Brazilian, of course), but that’s weird because his acting works anyway. It can have an impact. He makes him memorable in his role as a detective.
But there are also perfect performances, and not even one. Maeve Jinkings, who plays Suellen, Benicio’s new sidekick, does a sumptuous job. Mother, investigator, tough and sensitive soul. Pedro Caetano, who plays Captain Rossi, could be an FBI agent in any American series, and there’s Tomas Aquino, who plays the soulless one, who doesn’t need a better psychopath.
At the same time, his soulless personality is not overtly evil or dark. In fact, it is so human that it becomes a defining feature of the Code of Honor:
They are able to present evil in a way that makes us understand why it exists.
This is perhaps one of the series’ greatest virtues. He does not want to draw a line between good and evil, and he does not want to talk about what is bright shining and what is dark is hell. Rather, it reveals to us that view, which is how we humans are in the year 2023.
Perhaps what the Code of Honor owes little is the character portrayed by Guilherme Silva. It could be Moreira from the movie key In showing the nuances in the world between detectives and criminals, but this is not present in the first season. Silva’s performance is still authentic, the problem is not that, but the fact that keeping Moreira’s secret is not woven into the fabric of the film. Solving or solving a puzzle is more than that, it at least has a place and a role.
Netflix code
the Code of honor It’s a particularly exciting and interesting series, so we don’t have to worry that Netflix is going to give us a one-hour show eight times over. The cinematography (Daniel Primo, Rodrigo Carvalho) is very excellent, and at times almost artistic. The points of view change very well, from detail to editorial grand total, and from showing the drone’s point of view to guesswork. The sets fit very well with the director’s (Heitor D’Haila and Pedro Morelli) concept, they’re eye-catching, and the dialogues aren’t sloppy either.
the Code of honor It gives an insight into how difficult it is to fight against gangs in Latin America, and how corruption has become a global phenomenon. Will everything be okay in the end? You have to watch the series for that. The first season was completely closed, but even new stories and parts could be born from it.
7.2/10
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