Commissioner Beck - Season 5, Episodes 5-8 - DVD

Film: Commissioner Beck (Peter Haber) investigates again. But his latest case is not like any other. For the search for the murderer of journalist Jakob Wivel claims a victim from his own ranks. While the colleague fights for his life, Beck and the rest of the team must try to solve the case, which seems to draw ever larger and more dangerous circles. It's a sad case that doesn't have a happy ending for the investigators, even after it's successfully solved. And so the team soon has to get used to a new colleague. Norwegian Steinar Hovland (Kristofer Hivju) is so very different from his predecessor and his investigative methods don't really appeal to Beck at first. But when they have to solve the fiery death of a benefactor together, Hovland can finally hold his own and nothing stands in the way of a good cooperation. This is also necessary, because the murder of a former policeman and the death of a traffic cop soon demand all the skills of the team around Inspector Beck.

Commissar Beck clearly follows the motto class instead of mass. Since the first episode in 1997, there have been just six seasons with a total of 34 episodes. Three years break between two seasons were almost the rule. Despite this - or perhaps because of it - the idiosyncratic inspector has been able to build up a loyal fan base, who stand by him faithfully, even when his cases have turned out to be somewhat conventional. The new episodes get off to a very dramatic start, as viewers have to say goodbye to a character they have grown fond of. Kristofer Hivju, known from the series Game of Thrones, was chosen as a replacement. On a positive note, there was no attempt to replace a character with a very similar one, but to use the loss for Beck and his team to break some new ground.

And that's good in that the cases themselves don't offer too many surprises. There's no question that they're still very excitingly staged. Plus, Beck is just an interesting character, which is what makes his investigations so involving. Nevertheless, dramaturgically the viewers are not offered much more than simple crime fare - and that's just not really surprising anymore with the large offer of crime series from Scandinavia or even Great Britain. However, this does not change the high level of suspense and entertainment of the series, which is again very high in these four episodes.

Fans of Kommissar Beck can therefore not get past this box, even if not everyone will be satisfied with the changes made here. Solid crime entertainment with good actors - for this there can only be a worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The picture and sound quality of the DVD is on exactly the level that may be expected from a current TV production. The picture is pleasingly sharp, though there are slight weaknesses in overall sharpness and contrast matching here and there in the darker sequences. Colouring is atmospheric and no picture distortions worth mentioning can be spotted. The audio is primarily dominated by the dialogue, but the restrained music, ambient noise and a few minor sound effects also ensure that the surround channels are audibly used here and there. Good.

Extras: Unfortunately, the box doesn't have any bonus material to offer.

Conclusion: Inspector Beck goes with a bang into the next round, fans have to say goodbye to a beloved character. The successor is well chosen with Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones). The four new cases offer the usual decent crime entertainment, even if the big highlights are missing. But fans of the popular investigator will definitely get their money's worth. The double DVD presents the four episodes in good picture and sound quality. However, viewers will have to do without bonus material. Nevertheless: alone because of the very emotional first episode of the box there is a clear: Recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp