Klangor (2021– ) User Reviews

Solid and completely contained

[GSK23 · 8/10 · 8 November 2023]

I was getting burned out on Polish cop dramas and almost bypassed this one. Not exactly a cop drama, but it involves a prison psychiatrist and some crooked prison guards. Yeah, there are cops in it, but they're not the focus.

Also, a huge plus for me is that it appears to be a contained story with eight episodes and no hope for a season 2. That means no cliffhanger ending for the 8th episode! That means pure dramatic storytelling that isn't kow-towing to the suits who are angling for more money, etc.

I saw that someone reviewing this here was whining that they figured out "the twist" ending from the beginning. Well, don't let that fool you, as the "surprise" is out in the open by the 7th episode, but you surely have most of it handed to you by the 6th episode as well. Which means, to me at least, the "twist ending" isn't what the story is about.

No, it's not merely about the missing girl. It's about families, teens in today's world, corruption in prisons, treatment of prisoners, etc. It's about a lot of things.

It's also very well written, acted, photographed and directed. Plus, the music is good too!

Tense family drama in the seedy underworld of Poland! Highly recommended!

Masterpiece. A breeze of fresh air in the genre.

[aleksypotocki · 9/10 · 15 May 2021]

Admittedly, I felt very skeptical learning about a new polish production. Especially in a well-trodden genre of "missing-relative vs ncompetent-police vs genius-relative". I was proven wrong, so, so wrong from the very start till the very end. Klangor is an absolute masterpiece, briliant, captivating plot, amazing acting crew with a cherry on top soundtrack, building a wild ride through beuatiful polish landscapes. Unlike many others, it completes the experience with a very satisfying, bittersweet, yet really cohesive series finale. Give it a shot, its more than worth it.

Brilliant

[ShaneMacGowan · 10/10 · 19 September 2022]

For me, the quality of this series was in the acting. - brilliant across the board. As another reviewer has said, the plot is not necessarily original, but this doesn't matter, as the acting, backed by superb cinematography and a haunting soundtrack, makes this series captivating.

The pace of the episodes was spot on, with a slow build, but I found I was always on edge.

I found this series to be in direct contrast to some of the 'plastic' crime showing on Netflix nowadays - many of which are full of good looking criminals and handsome law enforcement officers.

I suspect the it will fly under the radar somewhat, but I couldn't recommend this series highly enough.

You want to be with them forever: a masterpiece

[pguilhermemoreira-75-833078 · 10/10 · 11 May 2022]

Maybe because it's polish critics are afraid to say how sublime this is. I'm demanding in my choices. How have to have good wtiting. But this has that and much more. And it's one of those you start jumping in front of tv, talking alone to the tv, telling them what to do or what no to do. Nordic noir. Remember The Killing? This is even better. Everything is good. The story. The filming. The images. The beautiful locations. The ambiance. The actors. I saw in a day hill, at home, with severe headaches, so imagine how good this is for me to see all 8 hours in a day. There are no repetitions, no forced writing. It's literary. The acting is beautiful. For me the best is Hania (Katarzyna Galaska), because it's the one that shows us the wisdom of a young girl facing the absolut terror. But all characters are perfect. Realistic, like the story, that makes us face our own fears and understand some people that don't live or behave like we do. Emil, Rafal, Magda, Ewa, Gabi. And the ending is just as perfect as the crescendo of all this series. It's apotheotic without losing this absolutely wonderful Nordic noir that I found I love. Well, i am Portuguese, but from the north. Now what? How am I gonna live without Klangor (beautiful name, by the way, the distant sound of a horn that could be the ferry's or the boat's) now?

Shocking. Powerful. Appalling. A masterpiece of noir crime drama.

[steven-222 · 10/10 · 30 August 2022]

This series seems to be a slow burn for the first few episodes, taking its time to lay out and then pull taut the various story-threads. Then..the reveal in episode six...and from that point on every moment is intensely gripping. This series takes us to a dark place of voyeurism and transgression, a place that exists only after midnight, when inhibitions are left behind and anything can happen--an exciting, frightening, dangerous place that can spiral out of control at any moment. David Lynch has sometimes taken us there, but he never delivers a coherent narrative; this is as if Lynch's intense sense of dread were combined with the storytelling skill of Roman Polanski. Yes, it's that good.

Reeeally GOOD!!

[Guanche48 · 9/10 · 24 January 2023]

Only 4 reviews? Amazing! This series deserves a lot more attention! America, watch and learn!

And to be completely honest I am Spanish and I always watch the series in the original version with subtitles, totally necessary to better understand and appreciate the history and culture of the country.

Hollywood doesn't reach this level, simply because a lot of times they lack humanity, realism... and very importantly in America they always look for beautiful people who seem perfect, which doesn't exist, perfection. Many of the American series are cold and not as realistic as this one.

Very realistic, what a family and what a father!

Perfectly written and detailed. Good actors. Without a doubt, you cannot miss it if you like strong emotions, tension and themes that are necessary to deal with.

Slow burner that doesn't deliver

[laduqesa · 5/10 · 16 October 2023]

The first episode was a drag. Histrionics, but muted. Plot development, but grindingly slow. Family situation, not credible.

As the series progressed, things perked up but there were so many impossibilities and scenes that just didn't make sense. A deeply mentally-challenged guy suddenly manages to plan ahead. A main character breaks into a sealed crime scene for no reason and smashes it up, again for no reason (I nearly switched off here, it was so ridiculous). Perps have utter contempt for Polish CSI guys by the way they falsify where dirty deeds were carried out expecting (rightly) that forensics won't notice the actual crime was committed elsewhere. An overweight character manages to subdue and do huge physical harm to a tall, fit, muscular guy half his age.

Not much of it makes sense.

As for the twist, it didn't take a genius to work out that one of the brothers was reckless but not totally evil, leading to a rounded conclusion that I saw coming a mile off.

Yep, I watched it all, but to compare this to some of the early Scandi noir series is a travesty.