A Good Man - Season 1 - DVD

Content: This diagnosis can't be right! True, 65-year-old Agâh Beyoglu (Haluk Bilginer) forgot to feed his cat, whereupon the animal died. But the former judicial official from Istanbul does not want to believe in an incipient Alzheimer's disease. His doctor, however, makes it clear to him that forgetfulness will gradually catch up with him. Agâh realizes that he now does not have much time left to finally bring justice in an old case where the guilty party was never brought to justice. He no longer has to worry about his conscience, which has kept him away until now, because he will soon have forgotten the crime anyway.

At the same time, police officer Nevra (Cansu Dere) starts work as the first woman in Istanbul's homicide department. As the only female officer, she has to stand up to her male colleagues day after day, which they don't exactly make easy for her. When a message to her is found on the body of a murdered judge, she becomes part of Agâhs vendetta - but is she just chosen at random, or does something connect the two?

The Turkish crime series "A Good Man" has been internationally acclaimed. At the beginning of the first episode, the reason for this may not be apparent to everyone. I had my difficulties with some scenes at the beginning. The scene in which the police storm the house of a dead judge, while his wife dances around the corpse, unimpressed by this, seemed to me to be a lot of effort. Only later does this sequence explain itself, which is why it works better in retrospect. This is actually true for all plot elements, which still seem a bit unwieldy at the beginning. Gradually, everything comes together and leads to a grippingly told story that has far more layers than it first appears.

Haluk Bilginer, who was awarded for his performance, among others, with an International EMMY 2019 in the category of Best Leading Actor, plays the avenger in the fight for justice and against the creeping oblivion simply great. Clearly, he leaves the strongest impression here. But also Cansu Dere as a dedicated policewoman, who has to stand up to the harassment of her colleagues day after day, but doesn't let it stop her from her investigative work, delivers a really strong performance. Embedded are these very good acting performances in a stylistically as well as dramaturgically first-class production, which, contrary to Agâhs memory, which becomes more and more fragmentary, comes together with each episode more into a coherent whole.

"A Good Man" is a very good example of clever plot construction. For example, at the beginning, there is absolutely no telling where this is all going. What is then revealed to the viewers gives the series a depth and an intensity that you don't really expect. Supported by great actors and filled with strong visuals and very original moments, this is a clear recommendation for all series junkies who like it a little more challenging and demanding. No wonder it hails only top ratings here, and not only from the critics.

Image + Sound: The series has a very special look due to its slightly overdrawn, yet pleasantly powerful color scheme, which comes off very well on the Blu-ray. The image sharpness and matching of the contrasts are overall on a good to very good level. The sound is available as a decent DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix, which in addition to a powerful reproduction of the dialogue can still score with a good implementation of the atmospheric soundscape of Istanbul, as well as with a few minor sound effects. Good!

Extras: As an extra, the Blu-ray box comes with a 12-page booklet, which, in addition to an episode guide, also introduces the most important characters of the series. There is unfortunately nothing more.

Conclusion: The Turkish series "A good man" skillfully manages the balancing act between poignant drama and gripping thriller, which is dramaturgically different from conventional crime fare. After a somewhat unwieldy beginning, this is a consistently rousing series that lovers of sophisticated series fare should not miss. The 13 episodes on the Blu-ray can also convince technically, the bonus offer is unfortunately very meager with a booklet. All in all, however, this box is a very clear recommendation!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp