Seven years ago, Said (Sofian Khammes) was a fresh faced new member of Paris’ elite BRI police unit at the site of one of France’s biggest terrorist attacks. The siege at Bataclan nightclub left 90 people dead and changed the face of policing across Europe; now Said is taking over the BRI unit, and they’re facing a very different world.
Publicly, former leader Patrick (Bruno Todeschini) quit for family reasons, but it’s clear the cause runs deeper than just his terminally ill wife. The game has changed, and it’s left him behind. “I like chasing robbers all over Paris,” he says. “But now it’s just terrorists, psychos, drug traffickers on the make”. Bad news for him, good news for fans of gritty crime drama.
Over the past decade or more, French police series have been at the forefront of hard-edged fast-paced action. On television the mean streets of Paris have seen more than their fair share of gun battles between violent criminals and heavily armed cops; across the first episode, The Brigade makes it clear that when it comes to solving violent crime, the BRI are most definitely not messing around.
L-R: Ophélie Bau (Vanessa), Sofian Khammes (Said), Theo Christine (Socrate), Rabah Nait Oufella (Badri) and Waël Sersoub (Julien). Credit: Caroline Dubois / Cheyenne Federation / Canal+
Visually, the style matches the energy of the action scenes (and a hip-hop heavy soundtrack helps keeps the energy up when the unit is off duty). Fast paced cutting, multiple cameras, and plenty of movement puts the viewer right in the middle of the combat and chase scenes. The series is driven by conflict; on the streets a drug war is brewing, with one side already scheming to drop the BRI in the middle of things. And back at the station, Patrick stepping down is allowing new fault lines to develop.
For Said, establishing his authority is a struggle with his former boss still looming large. Said’s team rebuffs his orders with “that’s not how we did it under Patrick”. His boss fills a vacancy by telling him not to bother looking for anyone – Patrick had already found the best candidate. Even the local criminals tell him to call Patrick if he wants to know what’s going on.
Said (Sofian Khammes). Credit: Caroline Dubois / Cheyenne Federation / Canal+
The rest of the unit have their own challenges under the new regime. Julien (Waël Sersoub) joined up to bust heads, and Patrick was happy to oblige him. But Said sees their job as two-fold: they’re not just there to grab criminals off the street, they’re supposed to be out there gathering intelligence, finding out who the criminals are and what they’re up to. That’s not a role that comes naturally to Julien, and he’s taking his frustrations out on others.
Ophélie Bau (Vanessa). Credit: Caroline Dubois / Cheyenne Federation / Canal+
On the other hand, Vanessa (Ophélie Bau) does have a lead for Said. She’s been tracking a hardened crim fresh out of prison, and she’s convinced he’s fallen back into his old ways. Said is all in on following up, which you’d think would give her a boost. But beneath her bravado she’s aware she’s got to work twice as hard to measure up – even physically, as she spends every spare second in the gym trying to bulk up so she won’t struggle under the weight of the required gear.
As for Badri (Rabah Nait Oufella), his problems start once he’s off the clock. Living on his mother’s couch in an apartment block controlled by gangs, he’s surprised to find his cousin fresh out of prison and looking to hang out. Problem one: neither his cousin nor his mother know he’s a cop, and going by the atmosphere around the neighbourhood, he wouldn’t last long on the streets if word did get out. Problem two: neither of them know Badri is the one who had him sent to prison. And the way he’s acting, Badri might soon get a chance to do it all over again.
Socrates (Théo Christine). Credit: Caroline Dubois / Cheyenne Federation / Canal+
The new guy is Socrate (Théo Christine). A former drug squad member, he seems to be everything Patrick said he’d be and more. But as the series progresses, it becomes clear that Patrick had his fair share of faults – and a way of tackling crime that often went outside the law. By hand picking a recruit who’d remain in the unit after he’s gone, was he secretly trying to maintain his power and influence by having his own inside man?
The unit still gets the job done, as shown by their professional takedown of a crime crew robbing a visiting pop star in her hotel room. But that’s just one gang; there’s a war brewing, and with one side happy to gun down their rivals in the middle of a crowded street, the BRI need to be at their best if they’re going to keep a lid on things.
Right now, their best seems a long way away.
The Brigade is streaming now at SBS On Demand:
Stream free On Demand
The Brigade
series • action • French
MA15+
series • action • French
MA15+
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