The Knick

It is the ultimate series and for me personally perhaps the most intense experience I have ever seen from Steven Soderbergh. It was raw, brutal, realistic and with acting performances so amazing that it should be receiving awards for at least two more years. Clive Owen versus Andre Holland show such a perfect war of doctors that you simply have to love both of them. However, be careful with this series, more delicate viewers might not be comfortable with some scenes. Even I had troubles sometimes. There is such natural depiction of surgeries that you sometimes get to see things you don’t necessarily need to. For the great premise I cannot rate it any other way than with five stars. I hope it can keep up for as long as possible. (13/09/2014)

A perfect piece of work that most are probably already familiar with, but for those who haven't heard of it before, catch up quickly. An utterly fascinating series that immerses you in the early 20th century and informs you of the advances and inventions in both science and medicine, starring the astonishing Clive Owen, a cocaine addict who literally works magic on the set, breaking boundaries, rewriting history and fascinating the viewer with his skills. The operations are filmed in great detail so there’s plenty of blood and guts and is no shortage of local brothels with courtesans, copious amounts of drugs, the uncompromising racism of the time and a piece of history with a thick dose of information. Most of all I enjoyed watching the advances in medicine, the new inventions, dealing with increasingly difficult surgeries and serious illnesses. A genre gem. Taken in two days in one breath. 10/10 (21/11/2019)

Soderbergh's redemption from the prison called Hollywood and a clear argument for those who claim that TV production in recent years is more interesting and progressive than film. I am no longer surprised by Soderbergh's words that he has finally found the creative freedom in contemporary television that was so lacking in big-studio film production. (07/07/2015)

Pilot: Absolute top-notch series competing with True Detective to become the series of the year. Soderbergh lets the reality of the environment work to the full. During the first operation I couldn’t finish my dinner. Story-wise, very interestingly outlined subplots. Concentrated acting performances, Clive Owen excels, of course. This kind of role was just what he needed. Season one: The following episodes don’t achieve the perfection of the first one, but The Knick just maintains the event of the year standard in each of its ten episodes. Perfect work with characters, the setting of the mood flawless. If you find True Detective too bookish try The Knick – it has more or less the traditional structure of a series and doesn’t put so much stress on viewer’s attention. Acting performances spotless, except Owen the black guy - Holland draws the attention. A dark reflection of traditional medical series. You may find Gray’s Anatomy and Dr. House a bit of a weak broth in comparison. Soderbergh rules. Season two: Hospital pleasures, economic games and social troubles ingeniously interconnected (an effort to make the story follow the concept of season one) through the investigation of the death of a medical inspector. On top of that, whites and blacks mingle and not everybody is happy about that. Women discover feminism and squeeze men’s balls (literally) to get what they want and then also, oh yes...the beginnings of pornography. The evolution of the characters is getting more and more interesting and viewers sympathies are fluid and constantly changing direction. The Knick introduces something very refreshing in the shape of familiar procedures and predictable development which the authors skillfully disrupt at the last minute or turn it around and wait and see what happens. It is about taking on challenges, discovery and also obsession. About death, life and reality. This season was less shocking, still in the same style – the brain operation is incredibly chilling – it still has a lot to offer and is absolutely engrossing. I’d love to be able to see a third season, but the ending of this season would make for a perfect unscrupulous circus-like finale. (23/08/2014)

A hospital at the turn of the twentieth century in an original series where its biggest strength is also its biggest weakness (well, more like just a weakness) because when Soderbergh took all of the clichés from series set in a medical environment and very consistently, bleakly, uncompromisingly and almost cynically turned them inside out, the moment of surprise is lost because whatever motive or storyline comes up, if you turn it one hundred and eighty degrees against what you would usually expect, and you know exactly what’s going to happen. In any case, this criticism fades in the light of everything else; the production design and the accent on disturbing period details to start with (definitely nothing for a nostalgic romantic “those were the times") and to finish with the acting performance (I wonder if Thackery was inspired by W.S. Halsted). Looking at this purely in terms of filmmaking, this is at the very head of the (not only) series pack. If nothing else, I should mention the operations. Soderbergh presents this crude butchery so realistically, with no embellishments, intensively and originally (the rhythm of the shots!), for my life, I can’t remember when I had to turn my eyes away so often due to feeling squeamish; and it’s not just to do with the explicitness of the shots, but also thanks to the fact that it’s all presented so strictly pragmatically that it’s far more effective than if they were operating with emotional blackmail alone. And a special thanks traditionally belongs to Martinez whose seemingly inappropriate and out of place background music does a whole lot for the series. (12/10/2014)