Detective Montalbano (TV Series) Il gioco delle tre carte (2006) User Reviews

Is a recent murder linked to a twenty year old case?

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 16 September 2012]

When elderly construction magnate Girolamo Cascio is killed it is initially written off as an accident; he was drunk and walked in front of a speeding car; his accountant and only friend raises a question though; if it was an accident why are there no skid marks? Montalbano takes the case from Mimi who had his mind on the case of a fugitive conman anyway. A suspect arises quite quickly; Rocco Pennisi, the man who was convicted of killing Cascio's main rival twenty years before and had just been released from prison. As the case progresses whether Pennisi isn't just innocent in this case but was also innocent twenty years before. Later there is a second killing; this time a man with an Argentinian passport is found shot in the mountains… could the cases be related somehow?

Once again this episode mixes humour with a decent mystery; unusually though it isn't Catarella who provides most of the laughs; it is Mimi. His investigation into the conman is centred on observing his beautiful wife; giving Montalbano plenty of opportunities to tease him about his reputation with the ladies! Cesare Bocci does a good job in the role of Mimi. The mystery is good with a variety of suspects to choose from… and unusually the two recent murders weren't committed by the same person.

Tightly Constructed Whodunit

[l_rawjalaurence · 8/10 · 1 December 2014]

This episode of the detective series is one of the best, as it avoids any unnecessary digressions and concentrates solely on the plot. Catarella (Angelo Russo) takes a back seat; instead the focus of attention centers on Montalbano's (Luca Zingaretti) attempts to solve the mysterious murder of an old man, which leads him into a complicated plot involving the Mafia, a superannuated shepherd and a vamp (Barbara Tabita) with a marked propensity for attracting men through a Monroe-esque walk, wiggling her hips as she passes them.

Needless to say Montalbano remains resistant to her charms - even though he looks, he doesn't necessarily react - but Mimi (Cesare Bocci) becomes more directly involved under the pretext of trying to catch the lady's husband, a notorious swindler. While he succeeds in the end, he remains bewitched by the lady; director Alberto Sironi leaves us consciously in the dark as to whether they slept together or not.

This episode makes intelligent use of the Sicilian landscapes; the cramped streets, where people's houses are necessarily squashed together; the ancient stonewashed mansions with plenty of hideouts for prospective criminals; and the mist-capped peaks outside Vigata, where Montalbano encounters the shepherd tending his sheep, as well as finding yet another murder victim. Despite its superficial charms, we are made aware of just how sinister an environment Montalbano inhabits, where crime is rife and a good police officer is vitally required.

The Game of Three Cards

[mark-badger · 9/10 · 27 April 2022]

Excellent episode.

One of the best.

Tight acting & direction, accompanied by the usual great balance of intrigue, action, romance & comedy.

Highly recommended.

Find the Lady

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 14 October 2017]

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.

"The Game of Three Cards" is up there among my favourite 'Inspector Montalbano' episodes, previous favourites being "A Trip to Tindari", "The Sense of Touch", "The Scent of Night" and "Turning Point". "The Game of Three Cards" is one of those episodes where finding something to fault is very difficult, as wonderful the show is to watch that is not always the case.

One always expects 'Inspector Montalbano' to look good. As always with 'Inspector Montalbano', "The Game of Three Cards" 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 episode contains some of the cleverest and most atmospheric use of location work of the show too. 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, nail-biting tension and involving and poignant human drama balanced beautifully. The subtitles are not hard to follow, and the story is one of the show's most tightly plotted (no padding or irrelevant scenes and every scene, even the ambiguity of the outcome of the central relationship, is done to full potential), focused (with it focused predominantly on the mystery) and cohesive.

Characters may be stereotypes but well-written ones, especially one of the most fascinating foreign detective mystery dramas titular characters. Am appreciating Mimi getting more development and as great a character Catarella is (a hilarious scene stealer) him taking a back-seat was a wise move.

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. Cesare Bocci and Angelo Russo also play their roles blamelessly and Barbara Barbita plays a vamp to sensual perfection.

In summary, wonderful episode and one of my favourites. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Pasta con Broccoli

[DoctorStrabismus · 10/10 · 30 September 2022]

I don't think think it counts as a spoiler to reveal the star recipe of the episode, which is pasta with broccoli, and we learn that the garlic in it must be sautéed just enough, not too much, and never burnt!

Montalbano is like that - it simply oozes colour and flavour as a wonderful cult series, and the fabulous Sicilian food it showcases would just by itself make it all worthwhile. These days we are making Montalbano recipes all the time, and luckily for us, whenever we start to eat them, the phone never rings!

Down the years we have followed a number of detective series, many of them good viewing, but the only one we can think of which has attained cult status comparable with this is Morse. And the prequel to Montalbano, 'Il Giovane Montalbano' is vastly better than that of Morse, 'Endeavour', which starts OK, but descends into utter awfulness.

This is certainly one of the very good episodes. The plot is tight and leaves you guessing, the subsidiary characters are also all excellent. Not for the first time, Catarella surprises us by coming up with a pure gem of lateral thinking to help unravel the mystery.

It would be both churlish and rude to give this one any score short of the perfect dieci (ten).