Rough Diamonds Review: The Family Crime-drama Starts Slow and Ends With a Bang!

Rough Diamonds Review: Created by Rotem Shamir and Yuval Yefet, the Netflix series follows a Jewish orthodox family in Belgium’s Antwerp Diamond Square Mile trying to keep their generational business stable. The crime thriller stars Kevin Janssens in the lead role alongside Ini Massez, Robbie Cleiren, Marie Vinck and more.

The eight-part series is co-produced by Keshet International and Belgium’s De Mensen and is shot with a mix of Yiddish and Flemish along with a little French and English. Each episode has a total runtime of approximately 50-55 minutes.

-Rough Diamonds Review Contains No Spoilers-

The story surrounds the Wolfson family, who are Belgian Hasidic Jews and have been running the diamond business for generations. However, after the youngest son takes his own life, things start to cascade like dominos, and secrets begin to pour out. Conspiracies among the family are revealed, and situations escalate to the point where there is no return. In order to preserve their hierarchal business, the family goes to all extent without stopping.

Noah, the estranged brother who returns to Antwerp 15 years after he left the ultra-Orthodox lifestyle, is the forerunner of the series. His role is vital and essential to the story. Nevertheless, the character is more complex than it appears to be. The family had cut him off a long time back, but he still manages to fly down during their vulnerable times. Even though he puts on a cold side for the rest of the world to see, there is a softer side to him that he shows to his closest confidants. But he remains calculative till the end and schemes out plans to protect his family at all costs.

First few episodes are rather slow, and it mainly showcases the different relationship dynamics among the family. The mask of loyalty and goodness slowly starts to slip off with each passing day. Backstabbing and scheming among the closest family members is a common occurrence throughout. There are a number of plot points that keeps the story exciting. The twists and turns are a few times predictable, and few take everyone by surprise.

Moreover, the plot build-up is executed perfectly and sets up a strong premise for the big reveal. The storytelling process is done seamlessly, leaving no plot holes. The only drawback of the series would be the length and some of the unwanted sub-plots that could easily be skipped. Some instances added little to nothing to the main plot and often felt dragged to the point where it becomes tiring. Some of the major moments also felt flat and did not hold up till the end. However, the major twist at the climax ties the story together and provides a satisfying end.

Kevin Janssens as Noah stood out the most among the cast members. He managed to portray the character perfectly. Another name worthy of mentioning is Ini Massez, who delivered a stellar performance every time she was on-screen. Robbie Cleiren also proved to be an important element of the show that could not be replaced.

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Rough Diamonds Review: Final Thoughts

If you are into family crime thrillers with similar vibes to The Godfather, then this show is just right for you. The plot build-up and the twists and turns keep the series interesting and intense throughout. The audience will also get a closer look at the diamond business within the Jewish Community.

Rough Diamonds is now streaming on Netflix. Did you watch the show yet? What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!

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