Netflix is hitting the ground running in 2025, especially for lovers of police dramas and crime thrillers. While watching shows and movies that are dubbed over or require closed captions can be a turn-off for some English-speaking viewers, Netflix has inspired more subtitle-friendly audiences thanks to its many great international series. The following examples are proof that anyone who is still avoiding subbed or dubbed shows might be missing out on some of the best stories of the year.
A nice change of pace from the typical American police procedural, The Åre Murders successfully tackles the Nordic noir genre; Public Disorder acts as a commentary on current sociopolitical tension in Italy; and the French film Squad 36 is a respectable addition to the cops-and-car-chases plots that audiences are oh-so fond of. All three of these projects bring something fresh to well-worn narratives.
The Åre Murders
The Åre Murders is a Swedish series in the Nordic noir genre, based on the books Hidden in Snow and Hidden in the Shadows by the popular murder mystery writer Viveca Sten, whose work was also the inspiration behind the hit Swedish show Sandhamn Murders. In The Åre Murders, Carla Sehn portrays Hanna, a Stockholm detective who travels to the remote city of Åre for a brief reprieve from the city, only to find herself investigating the disappearance of a local teenage girl, Amanda, and ultimately trying to find out who killed her. Kardo Razzazi stars opposite her as local detective Daniel Lindskog. Not only does the show pull viewers in with its primary storyline, but Hanna’s mysterious background and overt suspicion of everyone around her create a second level of intrigue and provide depth to her character.
The five-episode limited series quickly became one of Netflix’s most-watched series worldwide and was well-received by critics, who praised its adherence to the Nordic noir tropes of two opposing cops, flawed characters, dark themes, and a bleak atmosphere. The Åre Murders was shot on location in Sweden, and the picturesque landscape is a beautiful backdrop to the mystery of the plot.
Watch The Åre Murders
Public Disorder
Filippo Gravino created the Italian drama series Public Disorder, which acts as a sequel to the 2012 film ACAB, which was based on a 2009 novel of the same name by Carlo Bonini (who also penned a book that inspired the gritty gangster movie Suburra). The acronym stands for All Cops Are B*stards and is based on the common chant used by police protesters and activists. Taking those themes to heart, Public Disorder follows an Italian rapid-response riot police task force who find themselves in conflict with locals after a violent incident.
Starring Adriano Giannini, Valentina Bellè, and Marco Giallini, the show focuses heavily on the personal and professional conflicts of its characters, the intensity of working in law enforcement, and how those things can easily lead to moral ambiguity and questionable decisions.
The actors in Public Disorder were applauded for their performances, and many viewers respected the series for depicting such a timely and delicate subject matter, relating it back to the present-day tensions in Italy (and everywhere, really) between citizens and police. Not for the faint of heart, the show is starkly cynical, though it does successfully depict the camaraderie between officers whose experiences can only be understood by each other. As difficult as it is to sympathize with any of the characters because of their behaviors, all of their actions can be traced back to personal motivations and a desire for justice within a system that often gets it wrong.
Watch Public Disorder
Squad 36
Squad 36 is a French crime thriller directed by Olivier Marchal (a former police officer turned actor/writer/director) and was adapted from the Michel Tourscher novel Flic Requiem. Set in Paris, the movie follows Antoine Cerda, a police officer with a penchant for illegal underground boxing — played by Victor Belmondo, the grandson of legendary French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, who rose to fame with Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless. Antoine is transferred to the Anti-Crime Brigade after coming under investigation by the General Inspectorate of the French National Police, but soon, members of his former team start dropping like flies. Antoine wants answers about his dead friends and launches his own investigation to find out who is behind the murders.
With a straightforward narrative and car chases aplenty, Squad 36 is a solid addition to its genre. It explores common themes of police corruption and revenge with an ethically gray lead and severe tone. The main plot is respectable enough to be entertaining, and the main character’s personal interest in the crime creates valuable tension and generates loyalty in the audience. Clocking in at over two hours in runtime, the film isn’t a quick watch, but it checks off all the necessary boxes for a whodunit story with off-the-books interrogations and flying fists.
Watch Squad 36
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2025-03-16 06:10