Besa

I'm not a fan of organized or disorganized crime, but oddly enough, I do enjoy movies and shows with this theme. I mean, if they are good. And the first season of Besa certainly is. As I've already made clear in the reviews for each episode, I enjoyed the atmosphere, the suspense, the focus on the psychology of the characters, the precision of the action scenes, and the individual gritty fates. What also makes this a great show for me was the fact that the Serbs couldn’t care less about idiotic political correctness (which often doesn’t make any sense to me), so everything felt genuine and sincere. (27.05.2023)

It cannot be denied that the film's production was done well. It is not an interchangeable pop-cultural product, and the Balkans can be clearly felt in the series with all its cultural features and historical atavisms, such as a tendency towards violence, blood feuds, and pervasive corruption. The interesting, unknown actors help, and when it comes to the casting, I don't see any weaknesses, and the sadistic sociopath Mima will definitely rank very high among iconic villains. Radoslav Milenkovic did a great job with his character and they probably won't even sell bread rolls to him anymore in Serbia. As for the form, I only have words of praise, but as for the content, there are some more substantial criticisms to be made. The plot itself is convoluted. The leader of a criminal clan, who has an army of capable killers, chooses an extremely risky and, from a practical point of view, a senseless form of revenge through a civilian with zero criminal experience. Turning a regular person into a contract killer is as bizarre as hiring a random pedestrian for the national team in the FIFA World Cup. Some other moments could also be pointed out but that would go into spoilers. Nevertheless, my overall impression is positive, and I hope I will get to see the second season. The first one ended at its best. Overall impression: 75%. (13.11.2022)