the traveller

THE TRAVELLER – Review

We’ve seen plenty of movies and TV series featuring heroic cops who nail the worst of the perps by “going rogue” to one extent or another. This French series THE TRAVELLER serves up a protagonist in grizzled detective Thomas Bareski (Eric Cantona), who not only goes rogue, but native. Though he’s long been one of France’s most successful cops, he’s frustrated by the number of elusive killers they couldn’t identify or convict; especially the ones he nailed who either walked on a technicality or worked a deal for a lighter sentence than they deserved. He thinks the honchos give up too soon on too many violent acts, leaving the door open for more crimes, and precluding closure for victims and their survivors. So he resigns, buys a van and travels mainly off the grid as he dives into cold cases, usually finding patterns that reveal serial killers, or at least repeat offenders, remaining at large. Luckily, he’s unofficially backed by a high-ranking prosecutor who can legitimize his off-the-book pursuits and provide limited access to case files, forensics and other intel.

Cantona, gray-bearded and grungy, lives off the land and the kindness of those who appreciate his efforts coming so long after the rest of the authorities had moved on. Some feel quite the opposite, complicating his quests. The first five of eight 90-minute episodes (with English subtitles) have begun streaming in the U.S. Each is self-contained in a new locale with a new crime and set of characters, though some elements carry over. No cliffhangers spurring the need to binge. The stories are well-written, serving up a satisfactory array of suspects and twists to keep viewers guessing throughout.

Oddly for a series featuring only one regular cast member, Cantona’s Bareski is replaced for the last four episodes by a somewhat younger version of his character, Yann Kandinsky (Bruno Debrandt), who shares the same motivation, and takes over Bareski’s lifestyle and pursuits, including his van. I can’t disclose more about the succession without spoilers. Neither of them smile much; both are more intuitive than forensic. Anyone who likes seeing the bared butts of middle-aged guys can groove on the rear views of their ablutions in lakes and ponds by which they’ve parked for a night. For the less enthralled, those shots are mercifully brief. No other nudity.

Several installments include somewhat more action than the average European procedural, though well short of the fights, chases and gunplay levels of our accustomed prime-time network fare. Supporting performances are solid and diverse, enhancing the realistic look and feel of the various communities their pursuits cover. There’s little humor in the scripts, so watch this one when you’re in the mood for a serious crime drama that satisfies the cerebrum, visually enhanced by the villages and environs drawing our heroes’ endeavors.

3 out of 4 stars

THE TRAVELLER, in French with subtitles, streams on MHzChoice as of March 21, 2023.

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Eye For Film >> Movies >> The Traveller (2019) Film Review

The traveller.

Reviewed by: Donald Munro

In The Traveller (Le Voyageur), Eric Cantona plays the detective Thomas Bareski. Disgusted by the way difficult cases are being shelved, Bareski takes a leave of absence to travel around rural France attempting to solve cold cases. Working out of the back of a battered blue van, isolated and living off the land, Bareski is the embodiment of the lone detective.

The Traveller is comprised of eight[1] feature length episodes. In the first four, Bareski arrives in a small town to further the investigation of a cold case that was beyond the capabilities of the local police. The police are obviously none too pleased with their historic failures being pointed out by some hobo cop.

The Traveller harks back to the television drama of the Eighties and Nineties. The period after the step change in production values epitomised by Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People but before CSI 's reliance on technology for plot resolution or the incessant plot twists of 24 . The Traveller takes its time. It relies on cinematography and character acting. Long straight lines of roads, tracks and waterways, top down shots of forests and slow turning things. Wind turbines all speak to the isolation of rural France and to the nature of the investigations. Cantona is a good choice of lead. He has the presence to be able to just be still or just be quiet. This quality fits the mood of the series perfectly.

After four episodes Cantona decided to leave the show. The Thomas Bareski character is replaced by the very similar Yann Kandisky (Bruno Debrandt). The new character feels crowbared in. Episode five is constantly justifying the switch. The dialogue in the episode is littered with exposition as the writers try to pull everything back together. What they do isn't unsuccessful as a piece of drama but it doesn't have quite the same feel as its predecessors.

If you are in the mood for an old school detective drama that is character driven rather than police procedural or forensic technobable then The Traveller is going to be satisfying.

[1] episodes six to eight were not available for review.

The Traveller is currently screening on MHz Choice

Director: Stéphanie Murat , Marjolaine de Lecluse

Starring: Eric Cantona, Bruno Debrandt, Maëlle Mietton

Runtime: 356 minutes

Country: France

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The Traveller

Original title: le voyageur.

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We checked for updates on 246 streaming services on April 27, 2024 at 11:18:29 AM. Something wrong? Let us know!

The Traveller - watch online: streaming, buy or rent

Currently you are able to watch "The Traveller" streaming on MZ Choice Amazon Channel, Mhz Choice.

Newest Episodes

S3 e2 - season 3, s3 e1 - season 3, s2 e4 - season 2.

Hunting down killers to help bereaved families get justice is more than just a job; it’s a duty for Thomas Bareski, a retired, hotshot police detective eager to reopen unsolved murder cases in a mission to find the culprits.