DVD Review: Falcón

DVD Reviews, Reviews

Television is notorious for making original movies take place anywhere in the world as long as that part of the world can be built on a Hollywood backlot and augmented with plenty of touristy stock footage. The ITV adaptation of Robert Wilson’s Falcón books about Seville, Spain’s Police Inspector Jefe Javier Falcón were actually filmed in Seville Spain. The series would not faked on a soundstage in Wales using a few bull fighting souvenirs borrowed from a Taco Bell. Shooting on location elevates Falcón from a pair of TV movies to double feature of movies that ran on TV. Seville is as much of a character in the narrative as any of the murder suspects and even Falcón.

“The Blind Man of Seville” opens with Falcón (The Lord of the Rings‘s Marton Csokas) hanging out at the bullfighting arena with his matador cousin. The season is about to start. But he can’t just hang out all day. There’s a nasty murder scene demanding his attention. A restaurant owner has committed suicide which isn’t out of the blue. But the guy had been tied up and his eyelides sliced off. Who could have done that and what was he forced to watch that drove him to suicide? Falcón sees a photo of his own father in the kill room. His old man was a world famous artist that passed away nearly a year before. Falcón is curious about the connection between his father and the murder victim although he doesn’t think it will lead to much. Turns out there’s more of his father in this case as the bodies start to rack up. He ultimately has his entire life shaken up as his investigation exposes major family secrets. There’s a lot of unflinching moments including nudity and brutal stab wounds. This is a crime movie for adults.

“The Silent and the Damned” brings Falcón back to work three months later. The trauma of the previous case is still messing him up. He’s not in a sane state of mind. But he must get back to work. He’s working on a case involving a dead businessmen that gets declared non-suspicious. This really troubles him since the body is missing a tongue. He gets shuffled onto a lesser homicide except the new body appears linked to the tongueless victim. He uncovers the truth about a few citizens of Seville that might have had different names and life when they lived in Chile. Does seem that someone high up wants him to stop his investigation to protect their identity. Is Falcón willing to throw away his career to allow the extremely guilty to be protected? It’s a fierce Falcón that roams the streets in this sequel feature. Rosie Perez (Do the Right Thing) appears as a character that might not be looking out for Falcón. The ending is a harsh shocker which makes this more of a cinematic experience than serialized TV.

Falcón is a feast for the eyes as the mysteries unravel all around Seville. So many colorful and shadowy details of the Spanish city appear on the screen. There’s a vibrancy to even the most gruesome of crime scenes. The city changes personality as Falcón sprints down the street as cases heat up. The cinematography brings out the details. This almost looks like an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown except with murder scenes instead of exceptional restaurants. Falcón is a double dose of mystery that features a stunning location, an intense lead actor in Csokas and scripts that are filled with intrigue. Soak in this double feature.

The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The transfers brings out the dazzling colors captured all over Seville. The audio is Dolby Surround 5.1 which brings out the atmosphere of the city when Falcón is out and about. Even though the show takes place in Spain, the characters speak English. There’s also a 2.0 stereo mix. The movies are subtitled.

The Blind Man of Seville: Behind the Scenes (16:53) recounts how the first movie was adapted from the novel.

Javier Falcón: Behind the Man (5:39) gives the biography of the fictional character through the people who brought him to the page and the screen.

Falcón’s Seville with Robert Wilson (9:13) is a tour through the Spanish city with the author of the Falcón novels.

Photo Gallery (1:24) are stills from the production.

Falcón is an intriguing police drama that delivers the atmosphere and intensity desired from a series shot in Seville. Falcón quickly grabs the audience and drags them along on his case even as the truth comes back to envelope his own past.

Acorn Media presents Falcón. Directed by: Pete Travis & Gabriel Range. Screenplays by: Stephen Buchard and Sarah Phelps. Starring: Marton Csokas, Hayley Atwell, Emilia Fox, Santiago Cabrera and Rosie Perez. Boxset Contents: Two movies on 2 DVDs. Released: July 2, 2013.

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.