After having exploded the counters with its season 1, one of the best European launches for a French production in 2023 with more than 10 million views in three weeks of broadcast, “Pax Massilia”, the shock series from former cop Olivier Marchal, is back on Netflix this December 9. A second opus in the same vein as the first in view of the first three episodes that we were able to see.
An ever-so-violent, and uncompromising, dive into corruption and the drug scene in the Marseille city. A series that resonates more than ever with current events with this 10-year-old girl who takes a stray bullet where these little drug dealers are burned alive. Those who loved following the cop Lyes Benamar with his cowboy methods, and his teammates, nicknamed “the Cramés”, are in for a treat. For others, we advise you to pass their turn.
In two seasons, Marseille has not really changed even if certain cards have been seriously modified. From ex-cop number 1, Lyes Benamar, played by Tewfik Jallab (“Gears”), has become enemy number 1. Now behind bars where he is the target to be killed. Difficult for his team to digest, these cops like no others specializing in drugs nicknamed the Cramés. They are performed by Idir Azougli, Olivier Barthélémy, Lani Sogoyou and Samir Boitard. And in particular by Jeanne Goursaud, the intriguing Alice Vidal, the latest arrival in Marseille, who ended up in her bed at the end of the first season…
Olivier Marchal films the gang war at 100 miles an hour
At the heart of the plot, the release of Lyes who is ready to do anything to regain his freedom. He will then try to infiltrate the network of Ali, his childhood friend, born in the same city, and who became a drug lord. Until a new generation of young traffickers comes to jeopardize this not very pretty balance. Their methods are even more despicable. To take control of the very lucrative sale of drugs, nothing is stopping them… On the dark side we also find Nicolas Duvauchelle, alias Franck Murillo, a big shot.
In this fiction which flirts with documentary, former police inspector Olivier Marchal films the gang war in the cities of Marseille at 100 miles per hour. It is often extremely violent and the relationships between these boss cops and the real traffickers are sometimes hard to follow. Fortunately, the director gives us a little time to enjoy Marseille, between the Basilica of the Good Mother which overlooks the city and the Canebière, its light, its sun and its omnipresent Mediterranean Sea. Phew, let’s breathe.
Editor’s note:
“Pax Massilia”, season 2, French detective series by Olivier Marchal and Kamel Guemra, with Tewfik Jallab, Jeanne Goursaud, Idir Azougli, Olivier Barthélémy, Lani Sogoyou and Samir Boitard, Nicolas Duvauchelle… 6 episodes of 49 to 57 minutes. Recommended for ages 16 and over. On Netflix from this Wednesday, December 9.
