I grew up reading lots of tales of true crime; and, hailing from Goa, I am no stranger to the crimes of Charles Sobhraj, since he was once upon a time caught at a popular Goan restaurant after a stakeout. So, obviously, this true crime biopic and mini-series that revolves around the suave sociopath enticed me enough to check it out.
“The Serpent” follows Charles Sobhraj (aptly nicknamed ‘The Serpent’ due to his toxic demeanour and his penchant for slipping away from serious prison time) and his accomplices Ajay and Marie (under the moniker of Monique) as the trio lures, robs, and murders naïve tourists on their travels with no empathy whatsoever. It also centers around a very determined diplomat who is armed with plenty of evidence of their crimes and is on The Serpent’s tail from start to finish.
The series has many disturbing scenes which are not for the faint-hearted, especially the confrontational scene between Charles, Ajay, and two of his vulnerable victims. I like how Charles’ backstory is sketched out—but thankfully he is not glorified, and is instead painted as a very loathsome man who hides behind ruse after ruse, and has no qualms in dragging those who are naïve enough to believe him down with him. The dialogue does enough to paint a picture of how hateful he is towards himself and towards others for no reason, acting as if everyone around him is out to get him and thus, they need to be punished. This is made even more obvious in one scene in particular, when he murders a female tourist/aspiring nun simply because he seems to despise the fact that she is American and sleeps around a lot.
Jenna Coleman in “The Serpent” (BBC One, 2021—)
Jenna Coleman is a gem of an actress, and she convincingly plays Marie/Monique who starts out sad and lonely and takes a turn for the sultry once Charles (under the moniker of Alain) takes her into his confidence after sharing with her his own ‘sob story’ of not being accepted by society and feeling like an outcast from a young age (well, he sure went from feeling unwanted to being ‘most wanted’ pretty fast!).
Tahar Rahim does a commendable job of playing the very elusive criminal Charles Sobhraj and he even looks the part. However, Billy Howle steals most of the spotlight playing the quiet diplomat Herman Knippenberg, who did most of the work necessary in capturing Charles. Herman is also the only likable character in this to root for since he is the only caring and sympathetic person in a sea of corrupt and uncaring authority figures. He is reeled into the underbelly of gem smuggling and drugs, as well as double standards set by authority figures who refuse to track down the victims because they are revolted by hippies and hippie culture altogether. He is aided in his endeavour by his wife, who also had valuable input in the investigation and I’m glad the show focuses on their hard work.
The cinematography and scenic beauty of Kashmir and Thailand is also beautiful and honestly very soothing to look at, considering the ugliness of the subject matter.
However, following the timeline of all the things that happen in this series can be quite a daunting task. Viewers will occasionally find themselves lost and befuddled while trying to follow the serpentine trail created by the non-linear storytelling, but the atmosphere of dread and fear that is created by the same as well as the scarily accurate portrayal of the slimy Sobhraj are enough to make “The Serpent” a must-watch, especially for fans of true crime.
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If this story interests you, I highly recommend the book “Serpentine” by Tommy Thompson.
The series structure makes the timeline very hard to follow.