It has been a good start to the week. It was not a good night though after going to bed after 10.30 staying up to watch the second episode in a New BBC1 series called Zen, a police Detective series set in Italy and created by the same team who made the British version of Wallender. I went to sleep quickly but awoke at Midnight and then a 1 am. I returned to bed restless and not feeling sleepy so went down stairs briefly and switched on the heating. When I woke again it was 5 am so overall I accomplished over 6 hours of sleep and am back into my previous cycle. I keep in mind that when the clocks change I will need to waking earlier if I am to get to the Leisure for 6- 6.30 am. I considered going but deciding against, in part because the England Team’s one day game against the Prime Minister’s team was continuing live and at an interesting stage. They won, comfortably. It was also very cold although the promise is of warm weather within a couple of days and I am not clear of the head cold although it is affecting me less and less each day.
My attention to Zen came after seeing the lead actor, Rufus Sewell, in one to the today magazine programmes and noted his reference to the series being created by the same team that produced Wallender. Rufus has an iconic face which commands attention. He has performed on the London and New York stages as well as TV and cinema productions over the past two decades since graduation from the Central School of speech and drama without becoming a mega star. This series should escalate his career.
He plays a detective, divorced, living with his mother, and functioning comparatively lowly with the Italian Murder squad because of an established tendency to seek the truth and not be susceptible to bribery. There are two stories with this first of a three part 90 mins series called Vendetta which I saw on the I Player..
In the first story a judge is killed by a criminal who we later learn has been released from a life sentence because he is terminally ill with cancer. Because he was not guilty of the particular crime he is on a mission to kill the Judge, the chief witness against him and senior detective in charge of the case. He was guilty of other murders and crimes.
The second story is the main feature and involves the murder of a well known villain at his secured retreat in the Italian hill/mountain countryside where strangers tend to be kidnapped for ransom. In this instance he was killed inside his villa as were the two prostitutes he had brought from Rome with him. His assistant was later charged with the murders and confessed. Zen, havening reviewed the case which is coming shortly to trial has been asked to report the situation with his boss to a senior civil servant and the a government Minister. Zen is asked if he is satisfied with the case. Zen emphasises the man has confessed but also mentions that the weapon was never found and the security cameras show no one else arriving at the villa or leaving other than the assistant friend shown within a couple of minutes of believed time of death. The fingerprints found on the gun cupboard and elsewhere in the property do not belong to the victims, or the confessed killer or to the caretaker and his wife. They were away from the villa at the time drinking with the local policeman
The case takes a twist when the prisoner waiting trial withdraws his confession, alleging having found Christianity. While his boss wants a snappy trial and conviction to avoid further pressure on the department as the government is calling for expenditure cuts, Zen is met privately by the civil servant who asks him to find a way of confirming the non guilty plea so that the matter does not come to trial. The Minister in particular is concerned that should there be a trial the full extent of bribery re government contracts and other matters which could bring down Minister and Government could come to light. Zen is told that if he refuses the mission his career will be cut short. We are also aware from a prior conversation that the Minister has indicated his non involvement and responsibility from whatever happens and that if Zen fails or messes up that they will deal with him.
The first reaction of Zen is to refuse but after meeting the prisoner and hearing what he has to say, and talking over with a family friend and former colleague who runs his own private detective agency, he admits he is convinced the killing was undertaken by someone else and goes on a visit to villa, to interview the original suspects. He finds that the local policeman is unhappy at the going over the case. The caretaker has a young and attractive wife and he also reveals that the single estate worker, also a Russian, left shortly after the killings.
While walking the grounds Zen encounters a frightened young woman who takes his lighter and then disappears. He finds out from the local police that she was the daughter of the previous owner of the villa who was kept a prisoner since childhood and raped by her father after mass on Sundays. She now lives in the warren of caves and underground tunnels within the mountain area. Sensing she may have seen something he arranges with the local police to try and find her. He ends up within the cave tunnel system, nearly losing his life but finds where she lives and notices a lighter with the crest from the estate. He makes his way out via a tunnel which comes into the basement of the villa where he encounters the wife of the caretaker who offers to have sex with him because her husband is away. She reveals that she had a relationship with the estate worker who although spoke Russian was in fact was Italian and lived in the hills, so to speak.
Shortly after disclosing this information to the local police he is kidnapped and taken to meet the former estate worker. He admits that he and his brother attempted to kidnap the villa owner the previous year and that the attempt had ended with his brother being killed by the new owner of the villa. The man admits that he had taken the job at the villa to organise a second kidnapping although the plan was only to kill the victim, under Vendetta once they had control of the money. However he had not killed the man or the two prostitutes.
Aurillio (Zen) returns to the police station to find the local man killed and himself prisoner and about to be killed in another vendetta by the man claiming to have been innocent of the crime which saw him imprisoned. He had killed the chief witness, after the judge and now it was the turn of Zen, who states had not been directly involved in the case. He manages to escape but is captured by the men in the mountain woods. Just before he is to be shot, he is saved by the wild girl who kills two of the men with Zen the third, after she gives to him a riffle, which Zen quickly realises is the missing riffle from the villa killings. Thus he satisfies the Minister and senior civil servant, gets the imprisoned man free and finds the killers of the Judge and witness. He is able to ask for a reward from his friends at the top.
At the Detective Murder squad HQ in Rome there is sexy clerical assistant, played by Catrina Murino, who another detective claims to have bedded. This is not true and the young women is in the midst of a divorce but attracted to Zen and they commence an affair. The other detective boasts that he will have an affair with the girl and that as a result of Zen’s involvement in the case to hand he will end up posted to Sicily. Part of reward requested is to arrange for the boastful detective to be posted to Sicily. The other is to reassure his immediate boss that there will be no financial cuts.
In addition to the scenery and Italian ambiance the acting and the script is of a high level, on a par with Branagh and Wallander.
I did watch the second episode last night called Cabal but dozed and needed to have a second look today, also on the i player. It was worth the effort. There was just one story subject. A prominent man appears to commit suicide and Aurillio Zen is assigned the case and approached at the scene of the crime by the senior civil servant figure and told to ensure the suicide verdict is quickly confirmed.
Zen is then approach by either the chief prosecutor or a very senior figure in the prosecutor’s officer, an sexually alluring woman about the same age as Zen. She wants him to thoroughly investigate and ensure it was suicide. Zen is also approached by a mysterious figure who it transpires later is the wealthy brother of the senior civil servant character. He claims there is a major secret organisation in Italy, involving the Vatican, business and financial interests and politicians. If you are selected for membership you must join otherwise you will disappear either like him hiding in the shadows or literally, without a trace such is the power of those involved.
At the funeral of the man he finds the only mourner an another beautiful women who first claims she is a professional mourner but later admits to being a friend of the deceased It emerges she is a high class courtesan with the Minister one of her clients and at one point she uses this relationship to have Zen warned off involving her further. However when she believes she is being followed and someone has entered her apartment she calls on Zen for help.
My attention to Zen came after seeing the lead actor, Rufus Sewell, in one to the today magazine programmes and noted his reference to the series being created by the same team that produced Wallender. Rufus has an iconic face which commands attention. He has performed on the London and New York stages as well as TV and cinema productions over the past two decades since graduation from the Central School of speech and drama without becoming a mega star. This series should escalate his career.
He plays a detective, divorced, living with his mother, and functioning comparatively lowly with the Italian Murder squad because of an established tendency to seek the truth and not be susceptible to bribery. There are two stories with this first of a three part 90 mins series called Vendetta which I saw on the I Player..
In the first story a judge is killed by a criminal who we later learn has been released from a life sentence because he is terminally ill with cancer. Because he was not guilty of the particular crime he is on a mission to kill the Judge, the chief witness against him and senior detective in charge of the case. He was guilty of other murders and crimes.
The second story is the main feature and involves the murder of a well known villain at his secured retreat in the Italian hill/mountain countryside where strangers tend to be kidnapped for ransom. In this instance he was killed inside his villa as were the two prostitutes he had brought from Rome with him. His assistant was later charged with the murders and confessed. Zen, havening reviewed the case which is coming shortly to trial has been asked to report the situation with his boss to a senior civil servant and the a government Minister. Zen is asked if he is satisfied with the case. Zen emphasises the man has confessed but also mentions that the weapon was never found and the security cameras show no one else arriving at the villa or leaving other than the assistant friend shown within a couple of minutes of believed time of death. The fingerprints found on the gun cupboard and elsewhere in the property do not belong to the victims, or the confessed killer or to the caretaker and his wife. They were away from the villa at the time drinking with the local policeman
The case takes a twist when the prisoner waiting trial withdraws his confession, alleging having found Christianity. While his boss wants a snappy trial and conviction to avoid further pressure on the department as the government is calling for expenditure cuts, Zen is met privately by the civil servant who asks him to find a way of confirming the non guilty plea so that the matter does not come to trial. The Minister in particular is concerned that should there be a trial the full extent of bribery re government contracts and other matters which could bring down Minister and Government could come to light. Zen is told that if he refuses the mission his career will be cut short. We are also aware from a prior conversation that the Minister has indicated his non involvement and responsibility from whatever happens and that if Zen fails or messes up that they will deal with him.
The first reaction of Zen is to refuse but after meeting the prisoner and hearing what he has to say, and talking over with a family friend and former colleague who runs his own private detective agency, he admits he is convinced the killing was undertaken by someone else and goes on a visit to villa, to interview the original suspects. He finds that the local policeman is unhappy at the going over the case. The caretaker has a young and attractive wife and he also reveals that the single estate worker, also a Russian, left shortly after the killings.
While walking the grounds Zen encounters a frightened young woman who takes his lighter and then disappears. He finds out from the local police that she was the daughter of the previous owner of the villa who was kept a prisoner since childhood and raped by her father after mass on Sundays. She now lives in the warren of caves and underground tunnels within the mountain area. Sensing she may have seen something he arranges with the local police to try and find her. He ends up within the cave tunnel system, nearly losing his life but finds where she lives and notices a lighter with the crest from the estate. He makes his way out via a tunnel which comes into the basement of the villa where he encounters the wife of the caretaker who offers to have sex with him because her husband is away. She reveals that she had a relationship with the estate worker who although spoke Russian was in fact was Italian and lived in the hills, so to speak.
Shortly after disclosing this information to the local police he is kidnapped and taken to meet the former estate worker. He admits that he and his brother attempted to kidnap the villa owner the previous year and that the attempt had ended with his brother being killed by the new owner of the villa. The man admits that he had taken the job at the villa to organise a second kidnapping although the plan was only to kill the victim, under Vendetta once they had control of the money. However he had not killed the man or the two prostitutes.
Aurillio (Zen) returns to the police station to find the local man killed and himself prisoner and about to be killed in another vendetta by the man claiming to have been innocent of the crime which saw him imprisoned. He had killed the chief witness, after the judge and now it was the turn of Zen, who states had not been directly involved in the case. He manages to escape but is captured by the men in the mountain woods. Just before he is to be shot, he is saved by the wild girl who kills two of the men with Zen the third, after she gives to him a riffle, which Zen quickly realises is the missing riffle from the villa killings. Thus he satisfies the Minister and senior civil servant, gets the imprisoned man free and finds the killers of the Judge and witness. He is able to ask for a reward from his friends at the top.
At the Detective Murder squad HQ in Rome there is sexy clerical assistant, played by Catrina Murino, who another detective claims to have bedded. This is not true and the young women is in the midst of a divorce but attracted to Zen and they commence an affair. The other detective boasts that he will have an affair with the girl and that as a result of Zen’s involvement in the case to hand he will end up posted to Sicily. Part of reward requested is to arrange for the boastful detective to be posted to Sicily. The other is to reassure his immediate boss that there will be no financial cuts.
In addition to the scenery and Italian ambiance the acting and the script is of a high level, on a par with Branagh and Wallander.
I did watch the second episode last night called Cabal but dozed and needed to have a second look today, also on the i player. It was worth the effort. There was just one story subject. A prominent man appears to commit suicide and Aurillio Zen is assigned the case and approached at the scene of the crime by the senior civil servant figure and told to ensure the suicide verdict is quickly confirmed.
Zen is then approach by either the chief prosecutor or a very senior figure in the prosecutor’s officer, an sexually alluring woman about the same age as Zen. She wants him to thoroughly investigate and ensure it was suicide. Zen is also approached by a mysterious figure who it transpires later is the wealthy brother of the senior civil servant character. He claims there is a major secret organisation in Italy, involving the Vatican, business and financial interests and politicians. If you are selected for membership you must join otherwise you will disappear either like him hiding in the shadows or literally, without a trace such is the power of those involved.
At the funeral of the man he finds the only mourner an another beautiful women who first claims she is a professional mourner but later admits to being a friend of the deceased It emerges she is a high class courtesan with the Minister one of her clients and at one point she uses this relationship to have Zen warned off involving her further. However when she believes she is being followed and someone has entered her apartment she calls on Zen for help.
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