Detective Forst review: Is Netflix’s Polish crime drama worth a watch?

Detective Forst, which premiered on Netflix on January 11, 2024, has garnered attention with its dark premise and striking cinematography.

The Polish crime drama centers on the events that transpire when Wiktor Forst, a brilliant detective, teams up with Olga Szrebska, a journalist with a murky past, to investigate a series of brutal murders.

It has an ensemble cast headlined by Borys Szyc as Wiktor Forst, Andrzej Bienias as Edmund Osica, Zuzanna Saporznikow as Olga Szrebska, Kamilla Baar as Dominika Wadrys Hansen and Aleksandra Grabowska as Agata Osica.

The show comes from writers Agata Malesinska, Jacek Markiewicz and Marcin Cecko. Marta Baranska, Borys Szyc and Tomasz Morawski are its producers. Detective Forst had the potential to be a gripping crime drama with complex characters and shocking twists, but it ended up being a missed opportunity.

---

Detective Forst review: Underwhelming crime drama

A still from Detective Forst (Image via Netflix)

A compelling screenplay and intense action scenes are the hallmarks of a well-made crime drama. Unfortunately, Detective Forst fails to deliver on both fronts.

The series begins with an unnerving sequence in which a mysterious character tortures and kills his ‘victim’. The focus then shifts to Forst as he investigates a murder with no regard to his department’s protocols. He eventually lands in trouble for these actions but teams up with a reporter to find the killer without any help from his superiors.

Additionally, viewers learn that he had a traumatic childhood. These events set the stage for a compelling cat-and-mouse game between Forst and the elusive killer. However, the half-baked screenplay fails to do justice to the subplots.

The track about Forst’s past had the potential to add depth to the series, but it never happens. The makers rush through these sequences without allowing viewers to empathize with the character.

That dilutes the impact of a scene in which he learns about a character's actual identity. Similarly, the makers fail to explore the checkered relationship between Forst and Edmund, which robs intensity from the emotional sequence between them.

However, the track between Olga and Forst is the show’s biggest missed opportunity. Both characters are headstrong and lack respect for ethics, which makes a good match.

There are a couple of mildly engaging scenes between them, especially in episode 1 but the makers don’t explore their relationship in depth. However, the show’s problems don’t end here, as the fight sequences lack the finesse and organic intensity that fans have come to expect from the crime drama genre over the years.

Borys Szyc rises above the middling screenplay to deliver an earnest performance and tries to convey his character’s feelings through his silence. However, the lackluster script doesn’t do justice to his abilities.

Similarly, Andrzej Bienias and Zuzanna Saporznikow put their best foot forward despite being burdened with one-dimensional characters.

Andrzej shines in an emotional scene, where he learns that his daughter has been abducted. Similarly, Zuzanna is quite good in her initial scenes with Borys Szyc, but Aleksandra Grabowska does not get much scope to shine.

The background score doesn’t add a lot to the reel action, as it's generic, but the show has its merits as well. The makers have handled the bold sequences with sensitivity, and they blend with the narrative, while the breathtakingly beautiful setting works in the show’s favor.

To conclude, the series had an intriguing premise but needed a compelling screenplay to captivate the audience.

---

All six episodes of Detective Forst were released on Netflix on January 11, 2024.