TV: Binge Watching Tin Star

(Drivebycuriosity) - In the recent days I have been binge watching "Tin Star", an Amazon Original Series  (imdb). Jim, a former English cop,  got a job as a chief police officer in a remote mountain region in Western Canada, populated by bikers & oil workers. He and his family are haunted by the past (this is a spoiler free blog).

"Tin Star" is the strongest Amazon series I have seen so far. It seems that Amazon is closing the gap with HBO qualities. The series is a dark crime drama, very violent & bloody and not afraid of nudity (like HBO`s "True Detective"). It reminds me of Greek dramas, where people are driven by a mean-spirited fate. The plot is spiked with nasty surprises, sometimes absurd & shocking and touches issues like dysfunctional families, alcoholism, politics of oil companies, the role of America´s natives and more. Even even though there are many vicious scenes "Tin Star" is often decent and subtle.

The camera focuses often on Tim Roth, who incarnates Jim, a fascinating character - smart but alcoholic & impulsive. Oliver Coopersmith impresses as well, as "Whitey", a young man with a sinister mission. Christopher Heyerdahl convinces as the scary chief of security for the oil company, which apparently rules the town. Christina Hendricks  plays the public relation manager for the same company. Her character is smart & businesslike and is refreshingly different from her famous role in "Mad Men".  I also enjoyed Genevieve O'Reilly, being the strong & beautiful wife of Jim.

Dale McCready & Paul Sarossy, the cinematographers, also did a good job.  They captured the amazing Canadian mountain landscape in beautiful pictures. Even though I don´t like cold, I want to go there.  And they visualized the whole story like an art movie.

I hope Amazon will deliver more series of this kind. Recommended!