Coming to the Netflix screen this week is Under Fire aka Onder Vuur, directed by Joost Wynant. The Flemish drama is a 10-part series produced by Geronimo for the VRT. The runtime for each episode is 40-50 minutes.
Under Fire stars Sahin Avci as Gio Kaplan, Wouter Bruneel as Boris Weber, Lien De Graeve as Dominique Meersman, Piet De Praitere as Gilbert Gesquiere, Maarten Boilers as Vincent Knockaert, Sam Louwyck as Patrick Sinnaeve, Alessia Sartor as Nina Gonzales, Louis Talpe as Orlando Fonckea, Ann Tuts as Noelle Hauspie, Dirk Van Dyck as Henri Maenhout, Lynn Van Royen as Maaike De Boel, Aime Claeys as Tom Lateur, Maimouna Badjie as Jitske Van den Heuvel, Ilse de as Koe Kathryn and Kasper Vandenberghe as Steve. Eric Godon, Matthieu Sys, Mathias Sercu and Katelijne Verbeke are also part of the cast.
– Netflix’s Onder Vuur aka Under Fire Review Does Not Contain Any Spoilers –
Under Fire: Firefighters in Action!
Netflix’s Under Fire is a series with potential. It weaves its characters well and gives them skin but, somewhere down the line forgets to flesh them out, making it fall way beyond expectations. If the quote ‘Too Many Cooks Spoil The Broth’ could be represented in a series format, this latest release might be an appropriate example to define it.
Set against the background of the Oosteroever Fire Station in Ostend, we meet a tight-knit, headstrong group of firefighters whose lives change during the course of the show. The post is a small barracks where we are introduced to several characters and their stubborn working style. Irrespective of the mundane and the rigid life, the firefighters always strive to deliver high-quality of work, prioritizing saving human lives above all.
The routine and way of work are shaken up at the Oosteroever Fire Station when the existing lieutenant leaves the corps, out of the blue, for a greedy promotion. The fire station is shaken up by the incident and certain members feel particularly hurt and abandoned due to this decision. Soon enough, a new lieutenant is assigned to the corps- Dominique, who sets out to transform the people in the barracks according to the standards of the Bruges command post.
Thus, starts Dominique’s different approach to move the rigid ways of the firefighters into something flexible and ultimately adaptable. But, change is never easy and with the foundations of the squad shaken, it poses a tough job. Mistakes take the front seat and soon enough, the fatalities during an intervention jeopardize the survival of the Oosteroever Fire Station.
Under Fire starts off by introducing us to an array of characters. But, during the course of the series, due to the involvement of multiple plotlines that often seem unnecessary, the show forgets about the depth the characters need to have to connect to the audiences out there. The lack of depth and emotional connection towards a character is what makes the show fail despite its interesting and dramatic narrative.
The camera style for Under Fire is also haphazard and, the pictures often remind us of something old and rusty- and, definitely, not in a good way. The actors surely try to do their best but, their characters are not convincing enough for the viewers to invest in their performances. However, oftentimes, the dramatic moments, the stunts and various other aspects of the actors are highlighted but, surely, lost by the end of every segment or episode.
Under Fire: Final Verdict
Overall, Under Fire is an enjoyable show despite its shortcomings. It has its moments of shine and tries to put up decent work. However, it surely is a one-time watch due to its cliched moments, underdeveloped characters and too many subplots that don’t stand out to make a difference by the end of the day. Under Fire, sure, has a lot of ‘fire’ in it but, not enough fuel to keep it burning it our hearts and minds.
You can watch all the ten episodes of Under Fire aka Onder Vuur now on Netflix.
I loved it!