AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Micah Lloyd Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Brenda The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

JtheD After Keifer Sutherland this whispering dialogue is terrible.

Lynne A Phillips My wife and I liked the plot and the lead actors playing Cardinal and his female assistant, but the frequent torture scenes were too much for us. We gave us near the end of Season 1. We don't recommend this series.

Bantam I was pleasantly surprised and rather taken with this one. It is a crime drama series based on the works of Canadian writer Giles Blunt, that circles around a troubled, yet apparently driven and brilliant John Cardinal.Billy Campbell starring as the eponymous John Cardinal, and Karine Vanasse as Lise Delorme portray a pair of cops, who start out as unlikely partners and become the go-to guys for strange and bizarre cases.I have to say that the makeup of Series 1 (as well as 2) does bear some resemblance to works like "True Detectives" and "Bosch", but what struck me most was the eerie absence of action. In its entirety it resembles more the fine art of crime drama I am used from the Scandinavian directors/writers. And it does serve the show really well.The main protagonists are depicted as "normal people", with all their problems, demons and flaws, who just happen to be cops. I know that the recent overuse of 'broken' protagonists lead to some nasty blackouts recently (I point out the 2nd season of True Detectives), but here it lends some real credibility to the characters. You can really relate to what they are going through. This, paired with really interesting cases, which are still bizarre, but not too outlandish, gives the entire show a "je ne sais quoi" I have been missing in some other shows. Also, the fact that each season has more of a 'British' length, ie. 6 episodes, makes it more compact, without the need to paste in filler episodes, just to come up with a full season. (IMHO shows runners should be able to vary the length of a season. This would prevent boring or unnecessary filler episodes that can, in fact, ruin a whole season of an otherwise enjoyable watching).In all fairness, Cardinal does not do everything right and can't compare to some Scandinavian thrillers, but it does qualify as well above average. And the 2nd season is a slight improvement over the 1st. So, not all hope is lost.In conclusion I would say that is far better than the average north-american (including Canadian) crime drama and has a lot of potential. Its European flair (and format) makes it rather enjoyable, if you're into that kind of stuff. And if you want something similar, but way better give 'Hinterland' (a BBC production) a try. Or try Stieg Larsson's 'Millenium' either as the mini-series or the movies - do not watch the 2011 US-remake, it's bad.

rpalen Most film/TV adaptations of first-rate thriller novels fall short of their source material. They either miscast roles, change characters demographics or alter the plot/ending to suit their own filming needs.I am proud to say that this adaptation of one of my favorite thriller series --- GIles Blunt's John Cardinal novels --- hits it out of the park. This is done, possibly, because Mr. Blunt served as a producer. I would like to think that the filmmakers simply recognized there was no need to mess with perfection. The casting of Billy Campbell as Detective John Cardinal is spot on. The depiction of cold, stark and icy Algonquin Bay, Canada, is handled perfectly as the landscape becomes its own character in the narrative.I don't want to give anything away about the plot --- and those who have read the Cardinal series will know that this is from the first novel. Instead, I merely wish to give my endorsement and recommendation to this chilling thriller that has me anxiously waiting Season 2 (available on HULU in 8 days)!