Inspector Montalbano Collection five. When we last reviewed Montalbano, the Sicily-based detective series was “easy to watch and quite addictive.” It still is.

Distribution: Acorn Media
Time: 422 mins.
Aspect ratio: 16:9
Region: 2

When we last reviewed Montalbano, the Sicily-based detective series was “easy to watch and quite addictive.” It still is.  

It is not quite a formula, but these episodes are consistently good, with just a few elements that make it feel less sophisticated than, say, Inspector Morse. The Mediterranean setting certainly helps the feel-good factor and the relaxed Italian pace distances it from Hollywood’s frantic plastic thrillathons.

Based on Andrea Camilleri’s novels, plots unravel at just the right speed; opaque enough to keep the viewer guessing until near the end, but without last-minute revelations that force the story in a way that could never be worked out.    

This collection has two particularly good stories among the set of four, which feature smuggling, Mafia involvement and kidnapping among their plots. Treasure Hunt has so many threads going at once that it looks like a weavers’ competition until there becomes only one plausible outcome. It is the most involving story that I have yet seen from this detective. And to keep the show from becoming too safe, not everyone survives their perilous situation in one of these tales.

I would like to see a little more character development. Mimi and Fazio still seem somewhat interchangeable, while the cartoon slapstick of desk officer Catarella has progressed little (he still falls through doors as often as he walks through them).

Despite the Mafia and the murder, one of the most alarming elements is the number of times that the Inspector invites a woman over to his place for the evening, plies her with bottles of wine and then waves her off in her car. He must have a sergeant around the corner, poised with a breathalyzer to raise the solved-crime statistics…


The relaxed Sicilian approach to policing makes this an easy series to watch. As the eponymous Inspector, Luca Zingaretti gives hope to bald men the world over as he solves the island’s crimes over several unhurried bowls of pasta. It is ideal viewing for a Sunday evening.

4tocks


Derek Walker
http://walkerwords.wordpress.com

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