Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Detective Forst’ on Netflix, A Moody Polish Mystery Series Where A Cop With Past Tracks A Serial Killer In The Mountains

In the six-episode series Detective Forst (Netflix), a commissioner who bears scars from his past investigates a serial killer loose in the cold sweep of Poland’s Tatra Mountains. Is the Zakopane PD ready for the loose cannon methods of this detective , whose last post was big city Cracow? That’s likely a “not really,” since Forst (Borys Szyc) gets slapped with a “You’re off the case!” before the first episode’s through. But when did official pushback ever stop a tenacious cop, especially when a serial killer’s involved? Detective Forst, directed by Daniel Jaroszek, is adapted from two books by popular Polish crime novelist Remigiusz Mróz. 

DETECTIVE FORST: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT? 

Opening Shot: The peaks of the Tatras rise through bleak fog in southern Poland. We’re at 2655 meters above sea level (MASL), as the titles that will frequently appear in Detective Forst reveal. And in view of the mountains, inside an unknown structure, Fleetwood Mac plays on a jukebox. The presence of industrial plastic sheeting, a bloody finger, and garden shears would suggest that whatever’s going on here, it’s definitely not a party. 

The Gist: Commissioner (as in: detective) Wiktor Forst (Szyc) came to the police department in Zakopane from Kraków, where whatever he did got him busted and banished to this remote posting in the Podhale region of Poland’s southern highlands. It’s an area rich with the traditions of mountain folk like the Gorals, but religious history too, which is how Forst finds himself standing in the cold at Giewont (1894 MASL). A body has been tied to the massive steel cross that rises over 50 meters above the mountainside. At the scene, prosecutor Dominika Wadrys-Hansen (Kamilla Baar) barely acknowledges Forst, and his boss, Chief Inspector Edmund Osica (Andrzej Bienias) gripes about his invasive style when the detective scales the crucifix to discover an ancient-looking coin lodged in the dead man’s mouth. But Osica might just be big mad in general, because Forst is also in a situationship with his over-medicated daughter Agata (Aleksandra Grabowska).

No one in Zakopane law enforcement seems to care for Forst – lots of whispering about “You know why they fired him in Kraków, right?” – but he nevertheless seems confident that they’re dealing with a high-functioning serial killer who definitely wants to be noticed. The next body to appear bears similarities – a victim displayed, a coin again, a certain type of knot – but Osica bows to pressure and kicks Forst off the case. That’s OK – unofficial feels like Forst’s official speed anyway, and he soon teams up with disgraced local journalist Olga Szrebska (Zuzanna Saporznikow) and a youthful hacker named Staszek (Szymon Wróblewski), who reveals that the coin in the killings dates from the late 2nd century.

Forst’s mountain hideaway trailer (1056 MASL) is where he listens to records, finds time for trysts with Agata, and pops ketoprofen for chronic debilitating migraines, which bring on flashbacks that reference childhood trauma and maybe a link to the serial killer’s favorite coin. And while the local establishment doesn’t seem to want Forst anywhere near these slayings, which are marked by brutal violence and intriguing imagery, when did a smart detective who makes his own rules ever fully obey his bosses?

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Detective Forst star Borys Szyc was last seen in the dark comedy Warszawianka, a Polish-language series for European streamer SkyShowtime that sorta sounds like Californication if it was set in Warsaw. And with the imminent premiere of True Detective: Night Country, it’s worth remembering – because Forst certainly does – how the first season of that series inspired cosmic horror storytelling alongside the more typical tack of cops tracking a killer.

Our Take: When Osica, his chief inspector boss, let fly at least two “Goddammit, Forst!” moments within the first two minutes of our meeting him, we were already sure that we’d enjoy how this detective goes about his business. And the setting in Detective Forst is provoking, too – a mountain region where the environment, weather, and local histories and secret-keeping can all be inhospitable to outsiders. If that description feels somewhat like shows from the thriving Nordic noir genre, the comparison holds. But there is an eeriness permeating Forst, too – screechy, lingering music cues, and horror movie visuals suggested with lots of overlit reds, sickly greens, and harsh blues – all of which combine with Forst himself dropping Miami Vice references and generally behaving like every “cop on the edge” we’ve met in any police procedural ever.

With his beard and gruff charm, Borys Szyc sells Forst’s vibe in not so many words. We know he’s got traumas, kept in check with pills. We know he doesn’t drink “anymore.” (A running joke is the detective constantly asking people for rides.) We also know he’s a womanizer – in addition to Agata, Forst flirts just enough with Olga for her to shut it down, but still express interest. And we sense he’s really good at investigating and police work, even though he’s a department pariah. It’s character dynamics like these that will keep us interested, since what is seen so far of Forst’s quarry feels like it’s right out of the Seven-style, “Serial Killers Onscreen” handbook. 

Sex and Skin: Forst and Agata engage in a few bouts of pharmaceutical-enhanced grasping and groping, scenes lit with a steamy warmth that’s disorienting against the washed out blues and grays of crime scenes and the naked bodies of the serial killer’s victims.

Parting Shot: Arriving unannounced at the historical society on the slopes of Antałówka (940 MASL) where the first victim was staying, Forst and Srzebska find a few cryptic tidbits that might add up to a clue. But first they’ll have to contend with the mountainous mass of an angry local caretaker. “Hey! What are you doing in here?!”

Sleeper Star: As Forst and Olga, Borys Szyc and Zuzanna Saporznikow share a chemistry that’s immediate. But the true sleeper star in Detective Forst is the Podhale region of Poland. Misty mountain crags and  lonely highway strips that cut through vast stretches of watershed and greenspace fill every background of Forst to become a striking presence over the proceedings. 

Most Pilot-y Line: “We’ll play a game with him, Inspector,” Forst tells a grumbling Osica. Forst’s boss is pissed he released a statement to the media, but it’s all part of the plan. “He left a clue,” Forst says of the killer. “And we didn’t react. That’s why I said it was a suicide. He’ll be pissed that we’re underestimating him. Maybe he’ll make a mistake.” 

Our Call: STREAM IT. With a moody tone and eerie visuals to go with its familiar police procedural structure, Detective Forst brings out the grandeur of the Polish Highlands and features a strong central performance from Borys Szyc in the title role.  

Johnny Loftus (@glennganges) is an independent writer and editor living at large in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift.