All the Light We Cannot See; Blue Eye Samurai; Lawmen: Bass Reeves

“It’s hard to understand why it’s so bad given that the cast is quality and a lot of money has clearly been lavished. But I’m sorry to say that it’s an airless clunker, an absolute dud. I doubt many viewers will get beyond episode one. At times it is so clichéd it could be a Second World War spoof. It is as if the makers were determined to take what some critics hailed a masterpiece and reduce it to a pat potboiler brimming with constipated dialogue.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Directed by Stranger Things’ Shawn Levy, this take on Anthony Doerr’s epic novel has been given the big budget treatment, and it looks both wonderful and very obviously expensive: with its starry cast and vast, wildly elaborate sets, this is blockbuster TV. But ultimately, All the Light We Cannot See sacrifices the book’s carefully drawn moral ambiguities on the altar of mass entertainment.”
Marianne Levy, The i

“It takes itself seriously, but rarely gets bogged down by earnestness. In the end, Blue Eye Samurai knows that its main selling point is as an epic, violent tale of honour and revenge. There are betrayals, double-crossings and plenty of moral compromises. This is smart, cinematic entertainment and it is an awful lot of fun.”
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

“Lawmen: Bass Reeves is an enjoyable if unhurried retelling of the true story of the first African-American to become a US Marshal in the old American West. The combination of slow-and-steady pacing and geysers of blood will be a tough sell for many. What makes Lawmen worth sticking with are the performances, beginning with David Oyelowo as the brutalised Reeves. He shines even amid a starry cast.”
Ed Power, The Telegraph