"The Plagues Of Breslau" Review: This Grisly Polish Crime Thriller Is Worth A Watch

"The Plagues Of Breslau" is a 2018 series currently available on NetFlix. It's loosely based on the crime novels of Marek Krajewski.

"Breslau" was the old name of the city of "Wroclaw". It's the largest city in southwestern Poland. It is later explained that, after conquering the city, Frederick the Great instituted a week of plagues to keep the citizenry in check. One person was executed each day (except on Sunday). While thee is no historical proof of this, it gives the series a reference point for the murders.

The show opens with detective Helena Rus (Malgorzata Kozuchowska) visiting the scene of a crime. On a ground is a bulging horse hide that has been sewn up. When they open it there is a dead man inside.. Inscribed on his stomach is the word "degenerate". It seems he was put inside the horse carcass while alive and died when the hide shrank in the midday sun. Eeek! And we're off to the races (no pun intended). Other murders start popping up around town. Each is more gruesome than the last and they all occur at 6 PM.

Are there any novel ideas here? Not many. We've seen the lead character type in a number of other shows.She's a damaged yet competent female police officer. You can tell she doesn't give two s&^ts by her asymmetrical haircut. The crimes are very reminiscent of "Seven" and are very, very grisly. The killer's motives are eventually explained but it's all a bit cliche. I rolled my eyes during that long monologue about why these particular people were selected. But, all things considered, I still enjoyed the series.

Grade: 4 Monsters (out of 5). Despite it's flaws, "The Plagues Of Breslau" is still worth a watch. Check out detective Helena Rus as she tries to stop a very creative killer before he strikes again. With a total run time of less than two hours-- it's a super fast watch. I also haven't seen many Polish TV shows/movies so that's an added plus.