Of all the French series of this genre ( Men in the Shadows, Spiral etc) that I have watched, this is by far the worst of the lot. The first episode makes the viewer feel as if they have been dropped into the middle of an already ongoing story. There is no time taken to explain who the characters are or their relationship to one another. Those key facts the viewer has to figure out for themselves. Choppy editing doesn't help at all, nor does the obtuse, philosophical dialog that is so common in French films. As is common to all French films like this, there is a lot of desktop sex, the usual "May December" relationships between old guys and young girls, and heavy cigarette smoking. There is overuse of the hand held camera technique that follows the actors around as the walk down corridors and hallways. It becomes very tiresome after a while. In many of the scenes, there is a lack of continuity. Events occur with no explanation or logic to them but the viewer is expected to just take that in stride. This series would obviously resonate better with an audience in France, one more familiar with the strangeness of French elections, the myriad parties represented, and the changing alliances between them all. Seems like coalitions are the usual result and the President ends up constantly has to chase up the various factions to find out what's happening. With that kind of confusion at the highest level, it's a wonder anything gets accomplished. This was really not a particularly enjoyable series
Review of Baron noir
