The great English lexicographer Samuel Johnson once responded to an unsolicited manuscript from a correspondent: 'Your manuscript is both good and original, but the part that is good is not original and the part that is original is not good.' And that's the trouble here. Great acting and presence by the lead, and some quirky turns by supporting actors (and excellent use of snowy Alpine locations, and regional Italian rivalries) does not make up for the fact that one of the biggest 'twists' in this otherwise ordinary enough detective show is stolen (no other word from it) from the absolutely brilliant 6-part TV series River, the acme of this genre in the last decade. Copying and borrowing are often how new things begin to take form, but it's a real worry when the best element here is in fact someone else's, right down to the timing of the reveal in the last seconds of episode one. After that, well, it's hard to forgive a show that, with people smuggling, gun-running, and drug-dealing (not to mention skiing!) was looking like a cut above the competition.
Review of Rocco Schiavone
