The Devil's Hour

The Devil is in the detail! An excellent mind fuck miniseries from the Brits that will mess up your brain. Almost everyone will find something to like here, fans of serial killers, elaborate stories, dense mystery, parallel worlds, psychological drama and proper detective stories, in short, everything is here and it doesn't feel overdone at all, on the contrary, everything is thoroughly thought out. Devil's Hour is a series that seems unremarkable (it still has only some 352 views after 2 months of premiere!) and will definitely fight for mini-series of the year. It manages to draw the viewer in from the very first episode and also engages with likeable characters. Jessica Raine is a likeable actress and does a great job playing a caring mother who takes care of her emotionless weird son (definitely another creepy weird kid the movie world won't soon forget). The duo of detectives are also great, Alex Ferns, in particular, entertained me with his wisecracks and accent (he’s the chief miner from Chernobyl!), and without a doubt the enigmatic grey haired character played by Peter Capaldi shines, though it’s a bit disappointing that most of his deeds have to be left to the viewer's imagination. With 6 episodes, the series keeps a great pace, the atmosphere is mysterious until the very finale, there was a bit of horror and one awesome raid on a gangster's lair – a very cool and memorable scene for me. But the whole story picks up in the final act, where a full hour of flashbacks explains everything, and it is without a doubt an intelligent story thought through. The final episode literally wipes the eyes of the viewer and is one of the most intense conclusions to a miniseries in a long time. Recommended to anyone who likes thoughtful mystery thrillers, there is no question of any disappointment. 80%. (29.11.2022)

I honestly didn’t expect such an original take on a detective series. In the end, I was a bit disappointed that the first season didn’t stretch beyond just six episodes. Amazon has been increasingly surprising us lately with interesting projects. I have no complaints about the acting. Peter Capaldi was excellent as the killer, bringing the role to life with the right amount of grace. But the real surprise for me was Jessica Raine. She tackled the role of the concerned mother superbly. I hope she gets much more attention in the future. The series relies heavily on mystical and sci-fi elements. The first five episodes raise countless questions. As a viewer, I didn’t believe the creators could answer most of them. But I was completely wrong. The final episode really shut me up. Yes, this one worked out well for Great Britain. I give it a well-deserved 8/10. (17.06.2023)

The Devil's Hour is a beautifully blended serial killer investigation, time loops, mystery, paranoia, and the loaded theme of parallel worlds spiced up with likable characters, fine actors, and very good storytelling. The story is gradually dosed and built up only to unravel literally every question it presents throughout (and there are quite a few) in the final act, and I must especially commend the fact that the film presents all the answers very skillfully, "simply" and fully, and thus in the end I didn’t feel I didn't understand or was deprived of anything, which happens to me quite often in similar genre films. The finale is intense, it brings tension and a lot of moral questions like "what if we could prevent disasters in exchange for causing another, slightly smaller disaster" and I actually like the theme very much at its core. Sure, it could have been a bit more intense, and I'm kind of not sure how much further they want to push those themes in the second season, but I guess we can (hopefully) be pleasantly surprised. A pretty good experience from creative newcomers, with a thankfully reasonable running time of six episodes, which positively sets it apart from other 10-hour series today. (28.11.2022)

If I had to complain about one thing, it would probably be that The Devil's Hour does not have a very distinctive author’s touch, it looks like any other British TV series, otherwise, everything is great. From various more or less familiar mysterious elements, it puts together a picture that in the end looks fresh and unconventional. In this respect, special mention must be made of the final episode, which explains everything beautifully and reveals a well-thought-out concept that I've probably never seen before. It is rather rare in this mystery subgenre that everything fits together so neatly, including various small details, as in The Devil's Hour. For my part, I would also point out the excellent horror sequences (most of all in episode 3) and the extremely creepy kid. (17.11.2022)