Silent Road Review – Greek Crime Drama Delivers Heightened Suspense

Silent Road, from Topic Studios, presents every parent's nightmare, a mysterious man kidnaps a school bus of children from the city's most affluent neighborhood, demanding an impossible ransom, while the police work to track the kidnappers.

The first episode begins with the German legend "The Pied Piper of Hamelin," told in voice over, a mysterious man kidnaps a town's children out of revenge towards the townsfolk who broke their promise to pay his services. The Piper lured the children down a road that was named "Silent Road."


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Told over thirteen episodes, Silent Road begins with a united, happy, Karouzos family celebrating the 65th birthday of father, Spyros Karouzos, played by Antonis Kafetzopoulos. Everyone is home, except for the black sheep of the family, Thalia Karouzou, played by Penelope Tsilika, a young journalist, who as we come to understand is estranged from her family.

The next morning, a typical school day, everyone is rushing to get the children on the bus. By midafternoon, the bus, along with the driver and school monitor, fail to arrive at their destination. It is a well-planned and the kidnappers are determined.

Thalia is looking for work at the local newspaper, when the story breaks that a school bus filled with nine children never arrived at the school, she rushes to the press conference and finds out she is the aunt of two of the children. The detective-leading the investigation into their disappearance Nasos Oikonomidis, played by Dimitris Lalos, is expecting the kidnappers to make ransom demands.


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Suddenly, Thalia is contacted by the kidnapper who uses a voice distorter and when she tries to do the right thing and take the phone to the police, she becomes suspect. Her drug and alcohol addiction past comes back to haunt her, as the police obtain warrants to check her home, computer and investigate.

The episodes pacing give the impression of true to life. Slowly the effort to house and feed nine children, each with medical needs, become suspicious to the local grocer and when police begin to find other clues helps them weave together possible suspects. Throughout this, the parents are trying to maintain their lives, and even with daily routines, they are falling apart. 

Thalia immediately becomes a person of interest, and while she struggles with her strained relationship with her family, her powerful father Spyros tries to take control of the situation.


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As the days go by, it becomes clear that the culprits are aiming at something bigger than just ransom. Gradually, the case turns into a ticking bomb ready to explode, as tensions rise among the kidnappers and Nasos tries to piece together an impossible puzzle.

Barriers are broken, marriages are dissolving under the stress, old habits are resurfacing, and the idea of losing the children to some madman is unbearable. The shocking horrors of life, a parent's worst nightmare, debilitating addictions and damaging estrangements are present the world over. Wherever humanity exists the darker elements of society are lurking, waiting.

Delivering sharp intensified suspense the first three episodes of Silent Road begin streaming this week on Topic. Intriguing, revealing, and a binge worthy crime drama. See it.


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Country: Greece.

Language: Greek with English Subtitles.

Runtime: 13episodes/48minutes.

Directed by: Vardis Marinakis. 

Featuring: Penelope Tsilika, Dimitris Lalos, Christos Loulis, Anthi Efstratiadou, Antonis Kafetzopoulos, Marisha Triantafyllidou, Vicky Papadopoulou, Giannos Perlegas.

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