What Is the Story About?
Citadel, an independent spy agency, is wiped out by Manticore, a powerful syndicate that’s desperate to take charge of the world. Diana, an undercover Citadel agent, works as a mole in Manticore. She forges an unexpected rapport with Edo Zani (the heir of Manticore Italy), who is keen on taking the mantle from his father Ettore, grooming himself to be a capable leader.
Performances?
Matilda De Angelis, as Diana, effectively portrays the transformation of an angsty girl to an intuitive, suave agent – both physically and psychologically. Lorenzo Cervasio, playing Edo Zani, has the more interesting character and there’s adequate mystery and conflict in his performance to justify the writing. Maurizio Lombardi has an ideal authoritarian presence to pull off Ettore.
As a mother caught between the loyalty to her husband and the love for her son, Thekla Reuten is impressive while she lasts. Julia Piaton mirrors the emptiness and the disappointment within Cecile Martin, who’s forced to be a leader in an unexpected situation and compromises on her love. Bernhard Schutz, Filippo Nigro, Giordana Faggiano do justice to their brief roles.
Analysis
Citadel Diana, a spinoff of Amazon Prime’s Citadel universe (released in 2023, starring Richard Madden, Priyanka Chopra), set in Italy in 2030, casts light on a double agent Diana, who seeks to avenge the death of her parents in a plane crash. She’s hired as an undercover agent for Citadel to infiltrate Manticore, uncover the drama behind a weapon that could potentially destroy the world.
The spy thriller comes with several fabulous ideas that break the stereotypes around the genre – more so with the characterisation of its leads, Diana and her ‘good’ friend Edo Zani (who looks set to take over Manticore Italy). While focusing on the political tensions between the Italian and the French wings of Manticore, the show keeps drifting back to the past of the leads, offering glimpses of their early dreams.
Diana in her early days is constantly advised by her sister to get over their parents’ death (in which the former smells a conspiracy). While Diana isn’t wrong about her hunch, the idea of redemption eventually lands her in trouble. Edo, even if he’s born to a mafia baron, challenges the belief system and motive behind his father’s empire. As Edo and Diana unite, the mess only deepens and there are casualties.
The plot is largely about the power struggles within an enemy syndicate and a blossoming romance that forces the leads to rethink their strategies for the future and find a meeting ground. The storytelling is intentionally complex and gimmicky (perhaps to mask the simplistic premise), consistently unsettling the viewer with a gamut of twists, but the payoffs aren’t necessarily rewarding either.
What primarily works for Citadel Diana is how it builds its backstories, portraying the characters’ contradictions and complexities – for instance, the unfinished love story between Edo and Cecile and how their future eventually pans out. In addition, Diana-Sara’s sibling dynamics, her panic attacks and the trust issues provide a human element to a largely mechanical story.
The growing conflict between Ettore and Edo (the clash over Diana’s presence in their lives, and Ettore’s inability to trust his son’s capabilities to take over the empire) adds meat to the narrative. Citadel Diana’s strength and weakness are mostly similar – there’s an element of mystery that drives the narrative and keeps a viewer glued, but it also over-complicates the proceedings, twisting the story beyond necessity.
Citadel Diana has fabulous characters, meaty drama, top-notch action sequences with interesting twists – but they don’t come together seamlessly.
Music and Other Departments?
It’s heartening to see the way music is used as a storytelling tool in a cut-throat, restless action thriller like Citadel Diana and props to Mokadelic for making complete use of the opportunity. The tense, anxious mood of the show comes to the fore with great impact, thanks to Diego Dussuel’s cinematography. While the writing is impressive, the storytelling is all over the place and the editing needed more focus.
Highlights?
Terrific action sequences
Well fleshed-out characters
Constantly keeps the viewer glued
Drawbacks?
Gimmicky, flashy storytelling
Too many flashbacks in the way of the narrative
Simplistic conflicts
Did I Enjoy It?
In parts
Will You Recommend It?
Though not paisa vasool, it can please action, drama enthusiasts
Citadel Diana Series Review by Binged Bureau
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