While the expectations for this series are carried by the general interest in lurid topics, the series itself fails miserably at telling a gripping story while displaying an authentic portrayal of an urban demimonde. Instead of showing a harsh reality or to surprise with an unexpected twist, the whole story suffers from the constant attempt at staying politically correct. While convulsively avoiding any negative clichés, the series itself has become the cliché of the overly ambitious filmmaker who is rather interested in shaping the viewers opinion than creating an interesting plot. The dull acting doesn't help much, but the depiction of the antagonist "rocker-gang" - as one of many examples - is beyond ridiculous. The migrant thugs talk like primary school teachers, a quick research on youtube would have given the filmmakers a realistic insight into the habitus of streetwise criminals, i don't see any shortage in rapper-interviews to inquire. Even a daytrip to Berlins Neukölln district would make you question the authentic angle of the series pretty quickly.
While other productions like "Gomorrha" or "Top Boy" don't shy away from showing somewhat realistic scenarios (perhaps because "Gomorrha" is based on a book that covers actual events, and "4 Blocks" is basically fantasy), "4 Blocks" stays in the soft realm of the non-credible but socially accepted good/evil-narrative.
Review of 4 Blocks
