Pluskylang Great Film overall

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

subhdeep-07439 It's pretty good, good story, good drama. I liked most of the fact that it was only six episodes per season. Maybe first season was slightly better but second one was good too

Siddhartha14 This is not remotely as well made or as interesting as "The Killing." For one thing, the characters are shallow and completely uninteresting. Just because a murder mystery uses spooky music and long scenic shots does not make it "atmospheric" or good.

markfranh We enjoyed series 1 for the most part although we found it a bit over-the-top with the violence from time to time. We put up with it.Because we had enjoyed the acting of Billy Campbell and Karine Vanasse in Series 1, we thought we'd give series 2 a try when it became available. Big mistake.I should explain that we are Canadian but now live overseas and we thought we'd enjoy the chance to view a bit of Canadiana. This is anything but.It took me a while to figure out what it was that annoyed me so much I'll try to put it into wordsWe've taken to watching lots of Scandinavian and French dramas the last couple of years and really enjoyed them for the most part. Part of the attraction of the European series is simply that they aren't American and don't try to do anything too American. And that's where series 2 of Cardinal goes terribly wrong.One other review described Cardinal as 'tedious'. Agreed. All too predictable after a couple of episodes. "Cookie cutter" American story-line? Absolutely.But worst of all, the thing that dawned on me this morning was the phrase "gratuitous violence" and I was glad to see at least one other had made the same complaint. It was so unnecessary. If you thought series 1 had a few borderline gratuitous scenes, then series 2 just takes it that much further.At one point a minor character is shot in the head by one of the bad guys. Does he go down? No. The victim complains of a sudden pain in the head and finds a bit of blood trickling from his neck. Bad buy complains about the useless gun. Fires again. Victim now complains he can't see anything but still doesn't go down. Bad guy curses and swears about the bullets. Ditches the gun and grabs a golf club and then proceeds to pummel the victim until the job is thoroughly done. Did we need to see all of this? No. Did we need to be convinced bad guy was a psychopath? Well, no. Earlier episodes had made that perfectly clear. Were there other ways to dispose of the victim that would have made the point without being so graphic? Absolutely.Was it made to appeal to the American audience who seems to love this stuff with an eye to selling the product south of the border? You betcha. Criminal Minds, Hawaii 5-0. It's all there and more.Oh, and one of the things that made series 1 so enjoyable was the brilliant winter scenery. That's gone in series 2, "Blackfly season". Could have been anywhere with a forest I'm afraid, and the Canadian feel disappeared with the melting snow.Will we be watching a series 3? No way. We'd already decided against it before watching the final episode of Series 2 but if we'd had any doubts, some of the atrocious plot holes in the final episode as well as the silliness of the motorbike scene added to the resolution of the subplot with Cardinal's wife ended the possibility for good.Give it a miss, Canadians, unless you enjoy gnashing your teeth.

shobanchittuprolu Cardinal (2017): When I watched the pilot episode of Cardinal,a 6-episode Canadian TV Series based of Forty Words for Sorrow,I got a nostalgic feel of watching one of my most favorite mystery thriller film Prisoners (2013). To be frank,I accidentally found this series and watched it with low expectation and gladly it is one of the best surprises of this year.Plot: The series begins with the discovery of Katie Pine, a missing 13-year old whose body is discovered in the shaft-head of an abandoned mine. Cardinal follows detectives John Cardinal (Billy Campbell) and Lise Delorme (Karine Vanasse) as they attempt to uncover the mystery of what happened to the young girl. But as the case grows in scope and horror, a dark secret from Cardinal's history threatens to derail the investigation. Cardinal struggles to right past wrongs that could derail his investigation and end his career, as the case grows more violent and twisted, and the clock ticks down on the killer's next victim.My Review: Cardinal is a familiar murder-mystery type, the damaged but dedicated detective whose inability to let go of a dead-end investigation threatens his career but ultimately leads to solving the crime. However, the Canadian series adds an intriguing twist: the investigator also is the investigated, as Cardinal's behavior in a previous case may come back to haunt him.Cardinal may attract us with a whodunit thriller but surprisingly the killers are revealed at the early episodes of the series itself.So the tension does not arise from wondering which of the blank-faced townsfolk has a hideous secret. The worry over whether they'll find the psychopath before he kills his next victim is appropriately uncomfortable, but the real tension exists, as it should, in the relationship between Cardinal and DeLorme, as they go from mutual distrust to having to rely on each other to—well, to seeing each other for who they really are and starting over. From being frozen to being partners.Cinematography is the major asset of the film.All the snowy locations of the entire town and its hidden mysteries gives us an engaging feel.Campbell and Karine Vanasse's performances are striking and surely engages us in their relationship.The killers have their suspenseful looks.So,Cardinal is one of the best TV Series of this year and a must watch for mystery lovers.My Rating 9/10