Displaying items by tag: Harlan Coben

HOLD TIGHT

Poland, 2022, 6X 45 minutes, Colour.

Magdalena Boczarska, Leszek Lichota, Krysztof Oleksyn, Grzegorz Damiecki.

Directed by Michal Gazda.

Harlan Coban’s novels have been well received critically and are very popular. The film version of one of his novels, Tell No One, was made in France in the early 2000’s.

However, Coban made a contract with Netflix for the filming of many of his novels. Interestingly, most of them have been set outside the original locations in the United States. Many of the stories have been transferred to the United kingdom, there was a French film, a Spanish film, and two Polish. This is one of the Polish series.

The focus here is more local than the international scope of many of the series. The focus is on a family, a strong-minded mother, a laid-back father, the death of a student, drug dealing connections, and the disappearance of their son who was involved with the dead student.

While there is a great deal of attention to the students, their interactions, the drug deals, the investigations, the principal focus is on the mother of the boy who has disappeared, a powerful performance by Magdalena Boczarska.

As expected, there are several strands in the plot, revelations and various unanticipated interconnections between characters. There is also attention to the investigators, manner, scepticism, touches of comedy, but always serious.

And, a satisfying explanation of the intricacies of the plot.

1. The popularity of Harlan Coben novels? Adaptations as television series?
2. The transition of the story to Poland, Warsaw, the atmosphere of the city, the views of the city, 21^st-century and modern, the affluent suburb, the refuge for youngsters – and cover for drug dealing? Police precincts and investigations? The musical score?
3. The focus on Anna, her age, marriage to Michall, their son, their daughter, the protective mother, surveillance on her son’s phone, her husband’s hesitation? The disappearance of her son, her anxieties, desperation? Going to the club, her being beaten up, the rescue, the injuries? The death of Igor? The connection with Adam and his disappearance? Beata and her visits, grief for her son, discussions with Anna? Visit to the site of Igor’s death? The discussions with Paul and his wife, his role as a lawyer, his wife as a counsellor, at the school, the memorial for Igor? Ols and her friendship with Jasmine, Jasmine’s father, sleepovers, the humiliation of Jasmine at school, the teacher, the consequences? Anna and the police investigation, her work, sports, drugs, prescriptions missing, the investigation, arrest? Her continued interventions?
4. Michal, good man, expert, flying and the press conference about the fire? Support of his wife, love for his son, his daughter? Listening to Anna? His interventions, going to the club, the confrontations? The DNA, the impact of finding Adam was not his son, the confrontation with Anna, her explanations, the rape, his disbelief? The further search for Adam, the phone calls? With Paul? Paul suggesting the lawyer, the meetings, the confrontations? The reconciliation with his wife?
5. Adam’s story, his age, going to the club, the manager and her hold over him, the drug distribution, his close friendship with Igor, Igor’s death, the investigation, his disappearance, the false phone calls, his girlfriend and her concern, his being held by the two boys, phones with the Czech connection, the attack on him, his escape, confrontation with the manager of the club, the thugs? His watching his parents? The eventual return, the explanations to his mother, Igor and the stealing of the prescriptions, his proclaiming his innocence, the reconciliation with his girlfriend – his mother’s declaration for protecting him, but the final images of her suspicions?
6. Paul, lawyer, his wife and psychology, friendship, interventions, getting the lawyer, his daughter, demands on her, exasperations? Her love for Adam, at school, the friends, the parties, the drugs, her friend being abducted and tortured, her going to the club, the confrontation, the dangers?
7. The group of young people, the drugs, parties, violence, Guru, the manager, her hold over them, the thugs and their brutality? Holding Adam? His escaping, the consequences? The leader and his father, lawyer, finding out the truth about his son, his connections with the manager of Guru?
8. The shop proprietor, separation from his wife, the humiliation of his daughter at school, confrontation with the teacher, the teacher and his apologies, going to his house, harassing his wife? Revelation that he had hired the abductor, their past together in Afghanistan, his criminal attitude, the young girl, abducting the ex-wife, torturing and killing her, the search for the videos, the abduction of her friend, torture, the police interrogating her husband, her death? The revelation that the proprietor was sending compromising videos to the teacher, his past behaviour, humiliation? His confronting the abductor? The abduction of the young girl, torture, her escape, the pursuit through the railyard? The young woman letting her go?
9. The police investigation, the attitude of the chief investigator, his sayings and their being inappropriate, the range of interviews, the witnesses, the breakthroughs, the subordinate staff and their hostility towards the female officer, his employing her, their working together, the interrogations, clues? His thoroughness? With Anna and her husband? The personalities of the police, the young awkward policeman, his breakthroughs, the interviews, his misinterpretations?
10. The manager at Guru, her control, connections, violence?
11. Igor dead, his presence in the film, the site of his body shape and the candles? His mother? The revelation of the truth?
12. The personal dramas, the interconnections, crime, mysteries, twists?

JUST ONE LOOK

Poland, 2025, 6x45 minutes, Colour.

Maria Debska, Piotr Stramowski, Marka Malikowska, Andrzej Zielinski, Cezary Lujasewicz, Miroslaw Zbrojewicz, Monika, Krzywowska.

Directed by Marek Lechki, Monika Filipowicz.

Just One Look is one of the many adaptations of Harlan Coben’s novels for series treatment for Netflix. Coben himself has been executive producer, the adaptation is moving from the United States to various European countries, to France and Spain, more to the UK and  to Poland. This is one of the Polish stories.

The focus is on Greta, married with a child, happy, with her jewellery business. One day she receives an unexpected photo, a faced crossed out, her husband in the photo, the photo of a band. The disadvantages that she was present at a concert where a fire started, people crushed, Greta surviving but with some loss of memory.

The puzzle of the film starts with Greta’s husband suddenly disappearing, the audience knowing that he was abducted by a hitman and concealed. Greta pursues the case, approached by a prosecutor whose daughter was in the photo and his search to find out what happened, and the father of her boyfriend who supplies guards to protect her.

There are mysteries concerning the identities of the people in the photo, revelations about her husband, the involvement of his sister, the lawyer who was defending the starter of the fire.

Greta is a strong character, determined, working with the police, and the final revelation of the truth – which audiences would not have been anticipating.

Which makes for an interesting and entertaining Harlan Coben mystery.

1. The title? The crucial photo? The song and its performances? Mystery?
2. The popularity of the novels by Harlan Coben? The television adaptations, transferring from the US to Poland?
3. The moving between the present and the past? Gradual revelations of the past, complications and twists?
4. The past, Greta in the past, her boyfriend, the breakup, the influence of his father? The concert, Jimmy and the performance of the song? The members of the group? The fire, deaths, Greta and her injuries, loss of memory?
5. Greta’s story, in the past, the encounter with Jacek in France, her pregnancy, birth, love? The scenes of the holidays on the coast, the family scenes? memory loss? The continued presence of her boyfriend’s father, the gift of the roses each year, his sending his guards for protection? The prosecutor, his story, his visit, the quest to find out what happened to his daughter? The holiday photos, the photo inserted, the group, the scratched out image? Jacek and his leaving, disappearance, the phone calls, Greta strong, the search, his phone call, her worry, searching the information on his call discovery of Sandra, lawyer, his sister? Her defending the starter of the fire? Financial issues? Threats, the hit man? Her friendship with Camilo, her advice, her husband and his ailments, identifying the hitman, the chase, the crash, the shootings and injuries? The visits from Jimmy, his accusations that she was remembering, his death? The rescuer Jacek in the house, hospital, his death, her grief, the confrontation with Sandra, the truth? And the final realisation that she took the photo?
6. Jacek, happy family, 15 years, the arrival of the photo, his leaving, phone calls, the car park, his abduction, the moves to the different houses, torture? The phone call? The rescue, the truth, his death?
7. The prosecutor, summoned to the prison, a hitman and his confession, hanging himself? Fellow prisoner, becoming a hitman, wanting the money, the abductions, the threats, the encounter with Kamilla’s neighbour, the sequences with her, his killing her? The chase, the shooting, his death?
8. Kamilla, long friendship, caring for the children, picking them up, at home? Her husband and his ailments? Sexuality, watching the woman from the window? Discussions with the police, giving them information, her husband’s injuries, in the hospital?
9. Jimmy, the singer, the dispute about the lyrics, the clash, the fire? The group, Jacek, the prosecutor’s daughter, the presence of Sandra, Adrian and his disappearance? The visits to his mother? The revelation of the truth, identity, the financial implications? Sandra, the confrontation, her planning, the money?
10. Satisfactory mystery, twists?

MISSING YOU

UK, 2024, 5 X 45 minutes, Colour.

Rosalind Eleazar, Ashley Walters, Richard Armitage, Steve Pemberton, Mary Malone, James Nesbitt, Jessica Plummer, Lenny Henry, Charlie Hamblett, Catherine Ayres, Felix Garcia Guyer, Oscar Kennedy, Marc Warren, Lisa Faulkner, Stephen Kunz.

Directed by Nimer Rashed, Isher Sahota

Missing You is a 2014 novel by crime writer, Harlan Coben. In 2010s and in the 2020s, a number of his novels were adapted for streaming, especially for Netflix.

This limited series is shorter than some of the others, situated in a British town, creating an atmosphere of the town, but focusing on police investigations. At the centre is Rosalind Eleazar (Slow Horses), strong-minded, a detective, working with collaborators but also independently, personally affected by the murder of her police father a decade earlier and the disappearance of her fiance.

As with this kind of series, there is the introduction of quite a number of characters spending time on them to make them vivid, flashbacks to Kat’s father, discussions with her mother and her mother’s friends, the police officers with audiences suspicion of them at times, the flashbacks to the missing fiance, the development of that story, as well as investigations concerning number of missing persons.

There is quite some complexity with a dog trainer and dog lover called Titus, played by Steve Pemberton (in exactly the opposite way from his playing Robbie Williams’ father in Better Man). And a young man approaches Kat to find his mother who has disappeared. All these themes come together, a ruthless scam to get money by creating a false dating app, false names and resumes, getting their targets  together, capturing and holding them, forcing them to make transferral from their bank account.

There is an interesting performances throughout the series, Richard Armitage has appeared in for Harlan Coben adaptations. Lenny Henry appears as Kat’s father. Ashley Walters is the fiance who disappeared – and there are two scenes, expertly performed by James Nesbitt as the smooth-talking gangster. The series is directed by a two directors who have considerable television series experience.

1. Crime detection, murder mystery? Harlan Coben’s novel? Adaptation? John Waite’s song and the lyrics during the final credits?
2. The British setting, the English city, homes, police precincts, public buildings, streets, the farm setting, interiors, barns, the countryside? The musical score?
3. The focus on Kat Donovan, the centre of the film, as a policewoman and detective, her personality, determined, her relationship with her mother and her mother’s friends, work in the office, Stagger as her superior, working with Nia, with Charlie and the growing relationship, her skills in detection? The background, her father as a celebrated police officer, the flashbacks with him, happy, her childhood, her apartment? The impact of his death? The further investigations, the killer in hospital, dying of cancer, her visit to him, his denial of killing her father? Stagger and his resistance, putting her off the case? Her friends in confidence, Aqua, communication with her, Stacy and her investigations?
4. The issue of Josh Buchanan, writer, the flashbacks, with Kat, happy, his disappearance, her hurt? The reappearance on the dating app? Further investigations, his articles and the AI for his identification, Aqua seeing him and their past sharing the flat? Stacy seeing him, warning him off, her confession to Kat, apology, further detection?
5. The mystery of the man and his car, visiting the site, his wandering, imprisoned by Titus, the torture, the money issues, £25,000? His attempt at escape, his death, his body in the furnace? The further “assets” and the money scheme? The tracking down of his financial adviser and the information?
6. The introduction to Titus, working with the dogs, the couple and his photo of the wife’s infidelity, the later reporting him to the police? His obsession with dogs, proud of his record, competitions and winds? The farm, his henchmen, ruthlessness, cruelty, the focus on Dana, the ‘assets’ tied up and standing? The money being cut off, tracking down Brendan, abducting him, targeting Kat, the buildup to the climax, Dana and her escape, killing the henchmen, freeing the assets, Titus setting the farm alight, threatening Brendan, threatening Dana, Kat seeing the fire, the final confrontation and killing him?
7. The scam, the technology at the farm, the footage of Vanessa and the using it on the app, the various people succumbing, Brendan and his coming to Kat because of Josh Buchanan’s name, on the app, the story of his mother, Costa Rica, ransacking Kat’s flat, the confrontation, the episode with Aqua attacking him?
8. Charlie, his expertise, computers, getting the information, very quickly, opening up accounts, surveillance the airport, Dana and removing the money, the story of Titus henchmen with the rental cars and his taking the money, Titus shooting him? The discovery of the false identities?
9. Kat, the various investigations, Stagger putting her off, her visit to the dying man in the hospital, continually confronting Stagger? Discoveries about Josh, finding where his payments went, following the grandfather, discovering the daughter, meeting Josh again, the apologies, his reasons for moving out, the revelation about her father’s corruption?
10. Culigan, the gangster, the influence, reputation, his manufacturing his mythology, summoning Kat, the Gallery, his painting, the truth about the background, using Kat’s father, promising to find Parker? Contacting Kat, the address?
11. Police corruption, widespread, the father’s murder? The cover-ups – and the good intentions of protecting Kat? Tracking down Parker, the revelation of her father’s relationship with him, his personality, the experience? The link in blackmailing the father because of his gay relationship?
12. The final revelation, Josh seeing the father with his lover, the chase, the violence, the threat to Aqua, Josh and the knife, the father’s death?
13. The police, suspicions Stagger, his protection of Kat? Kohl, genial, retiring, investigations, the farewell, his wife and the information about corruption? Kat and her confronting her mother, the truth?
14. The end, Josh’s confession, Kats love for him, able to forgive him?