True Detective (TV Series) The Western Book of the Dead (2015) User Reviews

New Aesthetic

[ThomasDrufke · 8/10 · 21 June 2015]

It's going to be hard to top last years brilliant season of True Detective. Not only was it a fascinating crime drama, but it was a haunting look into two deteriorating detectives' lives. It's one of the great detective tales we have in any form of cinema, but I still had high hopes for this new season of True Detective. And I have to say, I like the season premiere.

We're now focused on 3 different police officers, Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch, and Colin Farrell. This episode was much more focused on setting up each of our characters than giving us a jaw dropping case to begin with. But I think the fact that these 3 police officers are all from different places is going to create an interesting dynamic throughout the season. Throw in Vince Vaughn, a criminal rising in his own business, and we will likely have a unique crime drama. But even with the new approach and aesthetic, it still feels like True Detective. The opening credits, besides the song, are quite similar. And even the score is surprisingly similar to last year's. We spent most of the first episode focused on 4 different stories. I found McAdams and Farrell's stories to be the most interesting. I figure the former's family dynamic to be something to keep an eye on this season. Farrell's tendency to take it one step too far is a weakness that will no doubt come to be important for the case. So I like where the story is potentially heading.

I don't think we should expect anything special from this season, I just want to be entertained. And I think that's a reasonable expectation from a season with a cast and crew this impressive. I would just hope they don't try to do too much with the story and stick to what made the first season so impressive, great character drama.

+New approach

+Music and feel

+Sets up characters

-Kitsch's story

-Vaughn hasn't won me over just yet

8.1/10

Different formula and larger scale, the rustic crime thriller is still bizarrely appealing.

[quincytheodore · 8/10 · 21 June 2015]

Season two is made with the purpose of not copying the plot of the first. It presents many perspectives in the span of one hour and less philosophical undertone. Despite many characters in play in relatively short time, the material and the performance by the cast are structurally solid. Pacing is fast as it weaves more content, although I must admit, I do miss Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson exchanging banters.

The first episode deals mostly in characters' introduction by shifting between them in rapid pace. Colin Farrell as Detective Velcoro is looking strong on-screen. He embodies more of the exhausted police role than the rest, his character is volatile and definitely unfriendly. With his traumatic past, the only thing he seems to care about is his son, yet the relationship might not be healthy as his flaws are jarring. Taylor Kitsch plays Paul Woodrugh, a highway patrol. Secretive and disgruntled, he appears highly enigmatic. There's a calm air about him, not in suave manner, just eerie.

Vince Vaughn as Frank Semyon is an odd addition, he's the cloak-and-dagger type business man. The show ventures a bit to political side with him, although his past with another character seems dubiously illicit. Rachel McAdams is a wild card. Her role as Detective Ani Bezzerides is probably the one with most reality drama worthy family, with webcam adult artist as sister and religious hermit as the father. It's unclear how the chemistry between them would manifest since they haven't spent much time stuck with each other, though the performance by the major actors are definitely presentable.

For the production, it still exemplifies the quirky dusty ambiance from last season. There are plenty of high panoramic shots, mostly with cloudy and barren tone. Soundtracks of humming instrument and slow songs make for the striking sense of isolation. To its credit, the first episode packs a lot of content, although the script isn't as thought provoking as before.

Whether season will reach the prominence of the first remains to be seen, people understandably expect it to be. However, with good cast and alluring dry atmosphere, it is still an engaging crime thriller on its own right.

Same atmosphere, new story.

[secondtimesold · 9/10 · 22 June 2015]

I'm not going to be one of those people that rate it based on Season 1. This is a new season so expect it to not be the same as before!

Excellent soundtrack again, dark, atmospheric. Colin Ferrel is off to a good start, his performance so far looks well invested. Vaugn seems to be out of his league here but hopefully throughout the remainder of the season he proves me wrong.

Bit of a slow start for the devil is in the details and this ride is just getting started! Hang on! The writer likes to leave clues and sometimes they are intangible. With only 1 episode watched it's hard to know where the story is headed so far but I'm looking forward to the tension being turned up.

Overall, I enjoyed the episode and I'm looking for to next week already!

Here's my thoughts(might be spoilers)

[oliverbjerregaard · 10/10 · 22 June 2015]

I'm going to make this review quick and efficient!

+ Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn and Rachel McAdams: They acted the hell out of it. Especially Colin Farrell, he's brutally good!

+/- I was not stunned by the directing. I definitely think there were moments of sheer visual brilliance (the bar with Vince and Colin / Frank and Ray) but overall, the directing were a bit rushed.

+ I liked the writing. It was slow, not as philosophical as season 1, but still it was good!

• My only real complaint is the cutting (which might be due to the directing). The scenes were often too short. It's a shame, since we kinda lost the tension between the characters. Hopefully the scenes will be longer throughout the season, and they were rushing because they had to introduce all these new characters.

Overall it's a 9/10. I really enjoyed it. I think season 2 will be very dark and there will be some very unpleasant and brutal scenes (referring to Farrell/Ray beating up the dad in front of his son).

Detach yourself from season 1, this is season 2. Something brand new. Personally i think it's going to be an awesome ride!

Never mind the convoluted plot, the show is still mesmerizing n aided with top notch acting. It has awesome songs n solid characters.

[Fella_shibby · 10/10 · 9 July 2019]

I first saw this few years back. Revisited it recently. This review of mine is for the entire second season.

The second season takes place in California n follows three detectives (Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams n Taylor Kitsch) who r investigating the murder of a city manager. There is also a parallel investigation by a nefarious businessman (Vince Vaughn) whose life savings were stolen when the murder took place.

Some may complain that it is weaker than the first cos of its convoluted plot but the psychosphere ambiance is repeated once again very well along with solid acting n both the seasons hav an eeyorish feeling. This season has dealt with the psychosphere of the elite occult, their fetishes n abnormalities n can be upsetting for some viewers.

I loved the second last episode of this season so much that i reviewed the second last episode individually.

The last episode of this season is almost like a feature film n is reminiscent of Michael Mann's Heat with tension n suspense throughout.

The performances n direction is top notch n there is some good amount of action. The broken characters r portrayed amazingly by the lead characters. The relationship between Colin Farrell's character n his son, the background story of Vince Vaughn's character and his daring attitude, the character of Taylor Kitsch, everything about this entire season is mesmerizing. The characters are all very broken n tortured souls.

Kelly Reilly is looking very illecebrous with her smokey eyes.

Why this series is going into the history books

[A_Different_Drummer · 9/10 · 24 June 2015]

Every now and then a series comes along that breaks the mould. Breaking Bad. Buffy. Utopia (the UK version). Deadwood.

This is one for the record books.

Police procedurals are old. Really old. They pre-date TV. Sherlock Holmes was a police procedural. For all I know Roman and Greek writers did them as well. They are old.

Even the CSI series (brilliant BTW) often hailed as a breakthrough moment for the genre was merely a twist on the old formula.

I think TRUE DETECTIVE has broken new ground.

The producers have somehow melded a police story with a horror story. I base this conclusion not merely on the astonishing evolution of the story arcs in Season 1, but on the background music in this first episode of Season 2. Drum beats. Suspense.

Almost counter-intuitive. We know that not much is going to happen because this is the first episode and there are pieces on the chess board to set up, but the writers are telegraphing by the camera angles (massive and unusual wide angle shots, subliminally suggesting that the scope of the story is more than it seems) and also by the sound track, what is yet to come.

The hallmark of this series is that the pace can change -- and often does -- at a moment's notice. This is is a police tale with a pulse. Anything can happen.

The horror of course comes not from traditional monsters but rather the hidden, invisible ones. The ones you walk with on the street. The ones you greet at work. The ones that look normal on the surface but are monsters deep inside.

Historical. Great series.

True Detective is back.

[Motopsycho2 · 8/10 · 22 June 2015]

I believe first we should all agree, living up to the legendary first season is not an easy task. Season 1 was a completely original form of TV with exceptional acting and over the top screen writing. It is still very early to compare the two seasons, specially since this is an entirely new setting and story.

We were introduced to a few strong characters in this episodes that need time to grow on us and replace the two beloved detectives from season 1. The creators' unique approach to film making is back for another season. Strong acting from top class actors is most definitely back as well. Same as the first season, these actors are not TV starts but veteran Hollywood movie starts with a lot of potential for the episodes to come.

The story hasn't completely formed yet but the climactic ending promises very interesting interactions between the main characters which are mostly anti-heroes (another resemblance to the first season). We needed to see character development before diving into the mystery and I believe the writers used the first episode to do just that.

Again, it's too early to judge the show but we must keep in mind that unlike other TV series which need to prolong the same old story over and over again to sign for another season, True Detective's format allows the writers to end a story when they should and develop a fresh story for the new season.

I think with this brilliant casting and the creators' vision, we will experience an above average season worst case scenario. But I sincerely hope they can live up to the expectations and the hype and deliver us another true masterpiece.

Meh.

[karn-llcool · 6/10 · 22 June 2015]

"Meh". This was my first reaction as I finished watching the episode. It felt very rushed, introducing many characters with their individual plot lines right off the bat. Where is the suspense, the cinematic shots? Aerial shots of L.A's roads are not enough. We have seen them in a dozen films at least. And oh, the "creepy" soundtrack does not fit in with the retro vibe of the City of Angels either. Not if you plan to shoot the majority of the episode in daylight. But of course you cannot come to a conclusion just yet. The entire season is left and I hope that if they are not going to do a good job with the individual characters, they should cook up some real good mystery (unlike the previous season, where the story really was not the main point but rather a backdrop for the 2 detectives' personal struggles) to compensate. Or else, it's going to be another show about cops with ambiguous pasts and vices and misplaced music.

A great season premier to begin with.

[SwarupMondal · 10/10 · 22 June 2015]

I had already convinced myself that it is almost impossible to surpass what was done by Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson and Nic Pizzolatto in the first season of this series. While I don't need convince myself otherwise, but I have to say that the season premier was very promising, character buildings were extraordinary,not to mention that the acting by all the actors were brilliant and there are a lot of new things to look forward to in this new season. Let's see if this season could go on a parallel quality with the first season. As for this particular episode (The season premier), it not only met my expectations but went beyond it. Hands down. And the theme song is amazing.

Welcome to Vinci!

[lavatch · 7/10 · 15 February 2018]

In this icebreaker episode for the second series of "True Detective," the viewer is introduced to the official insignia of the city of Vinci in California: "City of Vinci: Towards Tomorrow." But later in the program, a local cop describes it more accurately, when he identifies Vinci as "a city...supposedly."

Three police officers are the focus of the opening episode, and they all have deep-seated psychological problems. Detective Ray Velcoro (Colin Farrell) is an alcoholic and rage-ololic, who does odd jobs for the local crime boss, Frank Semyon (Vince Vaughn). In turn, Semyon has used his connections to provide Velcoro with the identity of the man who raped his wife. The rape may have resulted in the pregnancy that produced a son that Velcoro treats as his own blood, despite uncertainty about paternity.

The second detective is Antigone "Ani" Bezzerides (Rachel McAdams), who also needs anger management classes and to deal with unresolved issues with her father. With no personal life to speak of, Ani is a zealous cop with an estranged sister, Athena, working in the porn industry and her father working as a new age guru.

A third police officer, Paul Woodrugh (Taylor Kitsch) is haunted by a childhood of trauma. After being suspended after a driver he stopped claimed he had solicited sex, Woodrugh discovers by chance the deceased Ben Caspere, the Vinci City Manager, who was supposed to be the intermediary in a crooked transportation project sprearheaded by Frank Semyon, who apparently is unable to close the deal without Caspere's involvement.

The three cops meet one another for the first time over the deceased body of Ben Caspere.

Brilliant! If season 1 got 9.3/10 the season 2 should get at least 9.2/10

[masters-mind-team · 9/10 · 12 July 2015]

Well, a lot of cry babies out here! we know the first season is the best, we know that, can't we just move past comparing those two!

The four characters' acting is tremendous. I was very skeptical whether Collin Farell could pull it off but man how he surprised me. He did great.

Rachel McAdams acting was amazing. She is very gifted. Again, I thought that she gonna struggle a little bit with this depressed tough detective role but guess what none of that met the reality.

Great directing, ambiance, script, suspense, story line...

You have a solid series right here folks, don't be fooled by fools' reviews, I mean what would you expect from Glee fans!!

One Bad Actor Spoils the Whole Bunch

[backtraxmusic · 6/10 · 4 March 2019]

Clearly Vince Vaughn must have a great agent. That can be the only explaination for his addition to this cast. A graduate of the 'adam's apple' school of actors (like Bruce Willis), his signature move in dramatic scenes is to stare off into the distance and swallow hard. Perhaps someone thought being in over his head was conducive to his portrayal of a character in the same situation. No matter the reason, his dinner theater acting was the weak link than torpedoed the whole second season. What a shame, the rest of the cast and the story were very good.

very mediocre season opener

[iceroo7 · 4/10 · 23 June 2015]

As one of the other reviewers pointed out this year suffered from introducing way too many characters in the first episode. The entire episode felt disjointed, choppy, and hastily patched together in an effort to get the intros out of the way. I also wanted to note that if they intended it to feel that way, to make the viewer feel "unsettled" they failed miserably and I began just waiting for the episode to end. I think they were also trying for a noir feeling with the Vince V. character but again, missed the mark. It was just a very mediocre episode and I believe a lot of the reviewers are allowing the show to rest on its season 1 laurels and willing to give it the benefit of the doubt going forward. Had this been the first episode ever for True Detective I likely wouldn't tune in again.

Loved it!

[raggedlyhandsome · 10/10 · 21 June 2015]

What a great premiere, oh my god. It was really slow, but I loved it. I checked how much of the episode was left, expecting like 30 minutes, and I see only 2. It was all so great! First the acting: everyone does an amazing job, especially Farrell. Characters: I loved every single one, they are all broken, maybe Semyon not as much as the others. Plot: this wasn't a plot-driven episode, it was slow, and we see the crime scene only at the end. This first episode is basically here to introduce us to the characters. Thank God the characters were amazing. For me, the last 15 minutes is when it all pays off, when they get together and it all connects. Justin Lin also does a good job, not as amazing as Fukunaga, but that was expected. Fukunaga is like a god!

All in all, I'm in! Can't wait for the next episode.

A Great Start to Season 2

[jetkot · 10/10 · 16 April 2018]

Colin Farell, Rachel McAdams and Vince Vaughn are the three stars in this season and they give fantastic performances. Especially Colin Farell. He looks his part and he makes you feel for this character in every frame. His backstory is really interesting and the show unfolds really well. The suspense is gripping and the writing is flawless. There are many things similar to Season 1. I think that Atheism is showcased beautifully in this show. I am addicted to the show and the theme song in the starting credits. Brilliant

You can see the desperation in their eyes.

[jasperan · 8/10 · 17 July 2018]

Rachel McAdams, Vince Vaughn, Taylor Kitsch and Colin Farrell are all amazing actors; they let me see the desperation of their characters in their eyes. The three policemen's relationship has just started, but you can see the predicament that this case has put them on, and how it will change their lives.

Another HBO Winner

[fleetstar · 9/10 · 9 December 2015]

I thought it started badly with the title song, luckily that was the worst item. True detective 2 was more intricate than the first offering, requiring much more in the way of story development. So it took a little longer to get into it.

The acting was very good from all of the principal players, I enjoyed all of the episodes equally and I think it provides a really good contrast to the first series.

I also have to mention the music from Lera Lynn which was a first class backdrop to the series.

More please.

great season 2

[newmailkl · 14 May 2016]

I think I enjoyed season 2 far more then season 1. I felt like in a first season we had a great mystery and tension that end up in nothing. Second season was much more interesting and ended up great with a hint of hope and relief.

but don't get too excited! a lot of people get killed, and every time someone is on a run I asked myself a question- is this is the moment? is it going to happen now? Is it interesting that only women survive? Was it that nobel at the end for all the men to die? I think having more then 2 main actors was a great advantage. It is always intriguing who will end up being the biggest main actor that cannot be killed? Do they all die? I guess this time it was a nobel death of male main actors to bring peace to future life of those who they loved. On other details I must complement great music. I think they really worked on that one this time. I do value this season and I am very sad that a lot of ppl rated it low =(

A strong into episode!

[mm-39 · 7/10 · 26 June 2015]

True Detective season opener was well executed. Colin Farrell portrayal of an unbalanced police officer is well executed and a great side story. The two other officers characters have mysterious side stories which entices the audience for wanting to know more. Vince Vaughn character is the criminal master mind which plays all the pieces for season two's main storyline. The character driven scrip has all the characters intertwined with the a murder investigation in The Western Book of the Dead's story's climax. Directed at a fast pace, with a Miami Vice 1980's style True Detective aesthetic appeal will meld perfectly with the tension driven storyline. A segue episode which builds up a narrative for the upcoming season. Seven stars out of ten.

As expected , dark...brooding and excellent

[shikharkumar89 · 9/10 · 22 June 2015]

A lot of you will have read reviews elsewhere saying that the second season is not as exciting or in the same tone as the first one... well , that's not what the show creator is exactly going for here... This is an anthology crime series , and i think its quite refreshing to see each season start anew with a new set of characters in a different setting altogether...

Having said that, the question arises .. does this season seem to have that quality which made the first one so captivating ? My tentative answer after watching the first episode is ...YES !!!

Watch it for yourself and decide.

WAITING FOR..

[kolliopoulosandreas · 7/10 · 11 November 2018]

Nice introduction... But something tells me that " Nothing compares to you, season one! ".

This show is Crime Fiction novelty (priceless)

[julzymusic · 8/10 · 23 June 2023]

At first glance I thought I wouldn't like this show. I didn't think I'd like to watch a show about cops and drama. After the first few episodes I was hooked. I found myself drinking coffee and opening beer in between scenes just to feel some of the action in this show. At first I took the seriousness and lack of comic relief as maybe some kind of joke the director had. But it wasn't until the epic shooting scene and the rest of the shows drama building up to major events that I realized. This show has longevity. The Detectives were the perfect pick for this show and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

weird and jarring start to a new season

[phfxbhw · 6/10 · 24 August 2023]

Having just finished true detective season 1 in the year of our lord, 2023, I've obviously heard of how infamously less-good season 2 is. However, I'm not usually too critical of media as long as I can get a read on the plot and characters, so I came at it with an open mind.

The increased scope of cast members is not an inherently bad idea, but to shove them all into the first episode and keep cutting back and forth between them surely was. It's hard to keep track of everybody in the first place, and this episode almost exclusively highlighted their flaws, leaving very little to be attached to.

The plot was even more garbled. It's 50 minutes of cutting around to 4 completely separate storylines with almost no connective tissue. It almost feels more like the story should have actually started at the point where the body was discovered and work from there. Most of the information presented in the first episode was unneeded, or could have been reworked to take place after the actual case started.

All in all, not a strong start on the follow-up for one of the strongest mystery/crime-thriller television seasons of all time. Not unwatchable, but damn hard to follow.

Too much noise

[HorrorEnjoyer · 1/10 · 12 January 2024]

I thought it was writing 101 not to introduce too many characters and plotlines in the first part of the story. Apparently, someone in HBO thinks otherwise.

What a mess - a complete tonal shift from the masterpiece that was the first season. It felt like I was watching a completely different show; I even went back and checked whether there were somehow two "True Detective" shows, and I was watching the wrong one. But NOPE, this was it. They should've released it as a different series at this point.

The episode abruptly switches between perspectives, and it feels like I should've watched an entire season of exposition beforehand because I have no idea what half of these people are and what is going on. I'll try to power through it in hopes that it gets better, but man, my disappointment after jumping into this right after watching season 1 is immeasurable.

New Story, Same Feel

[mwatt89 · 24 June 2015]

Okay, so every person who has reviewed this episode/season thus far has started with the same thing and i'll be no different, it was always going to be difficult to top (or even match) season one, for a lot of people, the first season was the best show on television last year. Going forward, you have to view this as a completely different entity, otherwise you're already closing your mind.

One of the main draws of the show is it's characters, disintegrating into themselves and it looks as if this season will be no different, our 4 main characters are Ray (Farrell), Ani (McAdams), Paul (Kitsch) & Frank (Vaughn), all with the exception of Frank showed their vulnerabilities straight off the bat, Ray in particular facing some big emotional, violent issues that will no doubt play a big part in the unraveling story.

To keep the rest short and sweet (& spoiler free) here's a breakdown of high/low points of the episode;

+ Colin Farrell is turning in a fantastic performance, already looking like an inspired choice as the main role.

+ Visually stunning, great score/soundtrack.

+ Complex characters.

+ Slower pace and build-up actually enhances the overall enjoyment.

• Vince Vaughn has had a fairly slow start to his part in the story, I have no doubt that it will explode into action further down the line.

In summary, a very strong start to the series, the story will branch out now as the characters come together, my main hope for the next episode is to see Frank's character show his darker side and see just how far Ray will go to satisfy his.