Amsterdam—city of bikes, boats, and bodies. At least, that’s the way steely-eyed cop Piet van der Valk sees his murder-infested beat. Marc Warren (Beecham House, The Good Wife) stars as the title character in Van der Valk an all-new, three-part series based on Nicolas Freeling’s legendary crime thrillers.
Co-starring are Maimie McCoy (Wallander) as Van der Valk’s right-hand woman, Lucienne Hassell; Luke Allen-Gale (Dominion) as the scruffy sergeant, Brad de Vries; and Elliot Barnes-Worrell (Jericho) as the squad’s brainy new guy, Job Cloovers.
The recurring cast also includes Emma Fielding (Les Misérables) as Van der Valk’s incorruptible but indulgent boss, Julia Dahlman; and Darrell D’Silva (Game of Thrones) as the team’s hard-living, virtuoso pathologist, Hendrik Davie. Together they face a trio of challenging cases that give a new slant to Amsterdam’s renowned sophistication, for it appears that the city’s stylishness and toleration go hand in hand with murder.
I watched the first episode on PBS last night; it was excellent. The acting and Amsterdam scenery enhanced an interesting mystery. I can totally recommend it!
ReplyDeleteI watched the program last night; it was just an excellent mystery. Marc Warren and the entire cast provided good acting with the lovely Amsterdam scenery in the background! I can certainly recommend it.
ReplyDeleteI liked the Amsterdam scenery very much. And the direction, photography and overall production were quite good. The story was good, even if it did not have a great deal to do with Freeling's book "Love in Amsterdam".
ReplyDeleteI was disappointed with the casting: I would have preferred to hear more Dutch accents in a drama where the locale is so important.
A minor griple: having a barmaid live in a century-old patrician house on one of the main Amsterdam canals (grachten) is utterly and ridiculously unrealistic.
Overall, definitely recommended!