Operación Sabre

As an average viewer I cannot talk about the scenario, or acting or directing or the way the story was led. I can only say that I liked it even though me and my family and friends we were all feeling awfull after every episode.

Actually I cried after each of the episode. Why? This is a tale about my country and our failure as citizens of Serbia to build better society after Milosevics regime.

The assassination of our prime minister and the events that followed it in this series are not described like how it actually happened. (Documentaries exist for those who want credibility).

Sablja is, in fact, used just as a frame to explain and describe what is happening nowdays. The autors are depicting actions that contributed to a condition of an imprisoned state where we all in Serbia live in.

The main characters are carefully selected as a policeman, a criminal in the making (by not so odd consequences) and an ambitious journalist. They are the key for understanding when and how everything went wrong. Now it is up to us to decide what should we do with this sense of injustice and wether we should overlook fake licenses and literally bloody cash.

So far, I have mixed feelings.

The production is excellent. The opening credits are impactful, and both the music and cinematography are high quality. Thriller elements are well-executed, intense and keep you engaged.

However, the story lacks courage and a critical edge, like it's been smoothed over to avoid bothering anyone.

I'm disappointed with how Vladimir Beba Popovic was portrayed. Some key figures as well as some of today's prominent politicians aren't even mentioned (yet) and their absence is noticeable.

The "Zemun clan" members aren't well introduced, so unless viewers are underworld experts, it's unclear who's who among the many characters. It's a bit confusing!

There are too many characters who show up briefly, don't get enough development, and then disappear completely. I think the story is too complex and needs more episodes.

Milica Gojkovic and Lazar Tasic deliver outstanding performances. Their acting is refreshingly authentic and deeply sincere. Dubravka Kovjanic is superb! This might be one of her career highlights. Ljubomir Bandovic is simply outstanding. Fedja Stukan is excellent. And yes, he is very handsome! Andjelika Simic is mesmerizing in her miniature and I hope to see more of her.

Despite having some masterful performances (Micanovic, Bandovic, Jasna Djuricic) and few fairly dramatic moments (even to those who've lived through the actual events of the show) - to show doesn't pack a punch is absolutely had to, and by the end of a very short series that feels rather rushed for the scope of the events it tries to portray - goes out with a whimper.

Not only do we have very basic 'get it over with' rendering of some of the most dramatic events in modern Serbian (even European) history and especially in the context of the show's title, but half way through the show we have considerably less believable and infinitely less dramatic fictional events taking over the show instead of actual, even fiction worthy stuff that indeed happened.

Fictional characters, amalgamated ones, were supposed the more relatable bridge into the often intertwined but largely foreign worlds of politics, organised crime, police and secret service etc. Instead, by episode 5 they become the whole focus of the story and actual events fall into the barely noticeable background.

To make things worse, out of three protagonists two are irredeemable and third is absolutely dislikable, insufferable even so watching their stories unfold seems like a chore, the most exciting one - the mafia kid, is the shortest out of three.

It came from the intent not to make universally despised mafia nor the politicians the protagonist of the show - an odd choice considering what the show is about, but it turned out to be bad idea and ended up completely moving the show away from the actual title operation 'Sabre' and into some random and generic fictional conspiracy involving equally fictitious and rather unremarkable characters.

In turn it turns a potent show into a generic mediocre crime drama that is never too bold or unpredictable. Simply put - not what we came here for.

The show faithfully weaves through the chaotic aftermath of assassination of prime minister Djindjic, following several viewpoints - the press, the police, the politicians and the criminals.

The production and camera work are both great and the actors are very convincing, nailing the speaking style of all protagonists and antagonists.

The main problem is the number of characters. There are so many, many names and characters it becomes hard to follow the various motivations and connections. I would say that Sablja requires significant previous knowledge of Serbian 90s and 2000's politics and the vast crime scene that held the country in it's grip to fully understand what's going on.

The show tries to tell it all and it's clearly aiming at the local audience, since they will have no problem identifying who's who. And more importantly, why.

The topic of Djindjic assassination has been explored in length in various documentaries and both the good guys and the bad guys are all household names in Serbia. And this may be what gets foreign viewers confused. Motivations for the assassination are very superficially covered and unless you're a history buff that followed the collapse of Yugoslavia, you'll be hard pressed to understand what is really going on here.

I think a shorter character list would've benefited the show and made it more accessible. But the Djindjic assassination is still a very touchy topic in Serbia and this being the first attempt at making a dramatized tv show about the events, it's understandable that the director didn't want to cut any corners.

A series with a lot of potential but ultimately failed to meet expectations. It could have been an incredibly important show, but instead, it ended up being just an ordinary series, similar to other productions by Radio Television of Serbia.

After an intriguing start, the story completely shifts towards imaginary tales of fictional characters.

This was a missed opportunity to portray real events, which are far more interesting.

So, you're left entirely at the mercy of the creators of the show, watching their made-up stories and characters. In my opinion, the storyline they came up with is below average.

Personally, I don't enjoy other series of a similar style produced by Radio Television of Serbia either. If you like Juzni vetar or Klan, then this might be the series for you. I, however, was expecting something more serious.