SOME CONTINENTAL CHARM WITH "ZEN"

Now don’t let the name fool you, our next stop is NOT the mythical orient but Europe. I think it is safe to say, that if you are looking for class, going for a BBC production is a no-brainer. But with Zen, actually an adaptation from a best-selling series of novels it appears, they take one step further and place the drama in Italy, Rome, and all the elegance that comes with it. Add to all that the presence of a veteran actor like Rufus Sewell and the stage is pretty much set for something seriously good quality… As you can imagine, the BBC, Rufus Sewell and Rome do not disappoint…
Aurelio Zen (Rufus Sewell) is a police detective working in Rome. His reputation is that of inscrutable honesty which may seem like an asset in his line of work but is actually not such a good thing if you want to make a career for yourself. A high-profile case that lands in Zen’s lap, providing him with direct connections to some of the most important men in Italy may change all that. Zen wouldn’t really mind a career. However he would rather like the right men put in prison for crimes they have committed as well; the problem is that this doesn’t always suit his new patrons. If Zen can strike a balance and tidy things up in a way that will suit everyone (including his conscience) he could be a very important and wealthy man… If he can’t however… Who knows where he will end up…
Of course this is a police drama and there is a murder – or some such – to be solved. And I must say, credit to the author, because the plots on these babies (the version I watched by the way, was a mini-series composed of the adaptation of three separate novels, I am not sure whether there are more than three novels around or not) are quite something. They are delicate and hard-hitting at the same time, a very tough balance to strike, and yet a delight to watch when it is successfully managed. Part of the “delicacy” of the plots comes from the fact that alongside the common or garden police drama there is also the machinations of politics and high government and in the midst of it all Zen, a good and intelligent police officer – with a slight but endearing attitude problem – who really has no experience of managing such things as government ministers who “want this affair cleaned up as soon as possible”. The confusion that sometimes ensues, though never incomprehensible, is quite fitting of the Borgias back in the day…
What can I say… Rufus Sewell is as striking as ever, the plot is exciting AND demands use of your brain, what more can one want? A good one for a Friday night at home with a box of chocolates and some wine this one… Just a suggestion… =)