TrueHello
Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.
Ava-Grace Willis
Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
Erica Derrick
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
Deanna
There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
levitt-97156
I too love midsomer murders,but I discovered this show a while ago and think its brilliant,good plots,good ,quirky charactors,its a shame like midsomer,they don't make more each year.you can sit down and watch it in one 2 hour sitting.great stuff.in my opinion bbc and itv in the uk have it all wrong,because the schedules are clogged up with awful soaps nowadays,2 hour programmes don't seem to be able to be fitted in,so you get this terrible planning of programmes split into 1 hour and spread over sometimes weeks before you get a conclusion.anyway back to brokenwood,great show,hope theres many more to come.
Wilem MacLeod
As with many other highly entertaining titles to have come out from the brilliant minds of our mates from Australia and New Zealand, this one stands out for several reasons.Firstly, the ensemble cast meshes together so perfectly that when they start finishing each others sentences as scripted, it comes across as genuine and believable. Secondly, the writing and stories are unique enough and so rich in detail that they come across as completely authentic. Lastly, the mysteries themselves are just complicated enough to keep you guessing and second guessing all the way to the end. I thought I was pretty clever when I correctly identified the killer in the first episode. Yet, now thru season 4, I've yet to be able to finger the culprit even once more.If you like a great mystery, well written with lots of twists and turns as well as colorful characters populating a simply stunning locale, I can confidently recommend you visit the quirky world of Brokenwood.
fossicle
I enjoyed the first season of Brokenwood. No, it does not have big name actors, a big budget, heavy sex and swearing but it keeps your interest and is entertaining.If you want all the hype, hoopla and jabberwocky of US based shows this is not for you.I agree that some of the acting in the first episode was below par but it picked up in future episodes.Some of it is hokey and there is also quite a bit of subtle humour from DI Mike Shepherd which can easily pass by the viewer. No, he is not suave, sophisticated and debonair but I like the character.The episodes are up and down so you must be a patient viewer. In season 1 I enjoyed 2 of the 4 episodes. The first and last episodes in my opinion were below par. I also liked the quirky country music in the background. It is a bit different from the norm.I watched it on DVD so I could use the captions to help understand some of the kiwi accent (eg the "chicks" in the mail). Try it out and see if you like the show. Don't try to compare it to some of the pommie shows just take it on its own merits.POSTSCRIPT I am now into the third season of this series and each season is better than its predecessor. I have now upped my rating of the show to a 8.25 from a 7. The only real criticism I have about season 3 is the new background music they used. It is not as good as the music in the first two seasons.
pensman
For some reason this series get compared to Midsomer Murders when it is closer to Murder She Wrote in that the killings are not in multiple towns as they are in Midsomer but in one town, Brokenwood which is more like Cabot Cove,a small town full of murderers. The series uses the same establishing shot of Brokenwood in every episode: a small downtown surrounded by farms, woods, and grape vines. The main character is DI Mike Shepherd, Neill Rea, who likes country music, his twenty year old car, and always looks rumpled. He is aided by detective Kristin Sims, Fern Sutherland. There are four minor supporting characters, the most notable is Pana Herna Taylor as Jared Morehu. who I am guessing is supposed to represent local color. And Nic Sampson plays Constable Breen, the "gofer" officer. As an American I have some challenges in trying to discern what is being said as the three leads have what I assume to be New Zealand accents. I can usually parse out about 90% of what Mike says; 60% of Kristin; but only about 30% of Jared. Subtitles would be nice even though they are speaking "English." Oddly enough the guest stars—the suspects—are easier to understand. The plots are OK but you really watch if you like the characters, which I do. I tend to guess this is being produced on the cheap as if a character isn't important to the plot they don't get lines. You may see police officers milling around a crime scene but it is only the leads who have lines. The medical office is "manned" by one doctor and her response are terse at best. Maybe the money went for the soundtrack. I gather a second series has been approved.
