McMafia

A very slowly unfolding story about a mafia family that must start living on the other side of the law due to a single act. I expected a greater build-up, but on the other hand, I appreciated the detailed development of the individual characters. The series is dialogue-driven and relies on the situations that arise from these dialogues. However, there are no action scenes (just a few brief gunshots). The conflict primarily plays out in the virtual world of the internet, where financial transactions are conducted. James Norton didn’t initially seem like the best choice for the lead role, but over time, he won me over. Alexej Serebrjakov and Merab Ninidze delivered particularly outstanding performances. I liked the diverse locations where it was filmed. Prague played a significant role, and Roden, in particular, had a smaller but truly interesting role (Vašut also had a minor but intriguing part here). Honestly, I’m not sure if the final transformation of the protagonist from an empathetic person to a cunning villain felt credible. But as a conclusion, it was okay. I don’t expect a second season. I look forward to more projects like this in the future, and I give it 77%. (10.10.2018)

McMafia represents the McDonaldization of genre and theme. It serves its viewers a globalized product that can be consumed without problems by a Czech family from a panel housing estate, Bedouins in the deserts of the Middle East, or an Indian family from a slum in a metropolis. There are frequent changes in locations, images from the life of high society, and superficial moralizing on the topic of capitalism. It is shallow and inauthentic. If I were to look for a comparison in the field of music, I would liken McMafia to catchy pop-rock. In many details, it is unbelievably naive, even stupid, and the character development is implausible, and so are the characters' decisions. If there is an assassination, you can bet that the perpetrator will be a seductive model, and brutality is regularly replaced by melodrama. The cast, within what the series wants to be, is decent, but it is such run-of-the-mill commercialism that also pretends to be something more significant, that I don't even want to give it an average rating of 3 stars. Overall impression: 45%. (15.10.2019)

The series was definitely helped by the Czech touch in the form of Prague locations and Karel Roden. Thanks to this, I found the story much more interesting than it actually is. Without it, it would’ve been just an average, almost academically made British series without a hint of emotion but with a clear vision and some sort of message. However, why would I care about some criminals living in the spirit of McDonaldization? It’s just another proof of who rules the world these days. Some call them freemasons, some just those with money because the people with money have also power. We can call it any way we want, but this series is a clear proof of how our world works. Anyhow, I must say that if nothing else, James Norton convinced me for the second time in a short while about the quality of his acting skills. (16.10.2019)