Asaf Review: Cihangir Ceyhan's Crime Thriller is Entertaining and Emotional but Not Memorable | Leisurebyte (2024)

In the newest Turkish crime-thriller Netflix’s Asaf, we follow the story of an underdog cab driver whose life gets out of control after an accident that pulls him into the cold-hearted organized crime world. In an attempt to keep himself and his family safe while trying to satisfy the ruthless criminals, Asaf turns inside out his normal life and suffers moral dilemmas, unawaited alliances, and fatal challenges that will check all that is in his resilience.

The series has 6 episodes, each with a runtime of around 45 to 50 minutes.

-No Spoilers-

Asaf Review

Netflix’s Asaf brings us a Turkish crime thriller that is as intense as it is emotional. It features Cihangir Ceyhan and follows the story of a cab driver whose life takes a dark turn as he gets pulled into organized crime after an unexpected accident. The series is gritty in storytelling and emotional undertones, bringing its brilliance but not without flaw.

The core of Asaf is familiar yet effective. In effect, it’s about an ordinary man forced into extraordinary situations. Asaf’s life is already crumbling; he hates his job, his marriage is failing and his son’s life is at risk due to a heart condition. Then an accident sends him into the criminal underworld. You cannot help but feel sympathy for him.

The performance of Asaf by Cihangir Ceyhan is one of the biggest strengths of this series. He just catches that transformation of his character from an ordinary man, trying to stay afloat, into somebody who learns to outwit his enemies in the dark, unforgiving world he’s trapped in. One thing that really stood out for me was how Asaf’s love for his son remained a driving force all through the story. It added layers of humanity to his character, making me root for him even when he made questionable decisions.

One thing Asaf does perfectly is bringing out the emotional depth. He is not just showing that his life in crime is happening but also how he actually cares for his son as well as brings into his life another young boy around the same age, at whom Asaf bonds surprisingly and amazingly. These moments brought such a lot of heart to the series. For a series that’s so deep-rooted in the crime-thriller genre, these were the softer moments that stood out for me.

As much as the visual tone matches well with the storyline, there are those dark and grimy settings to match the reality that exists within the criminal world explored in this show. I actually liked how the series never really attempted to glamorize crime; it’s raw and brutal and makes you feel the weight of Asaf’s choices. Universal themes of survival, sacrifice, and moral dilemmas are handled by Asaf. I often found myself asking: What would I do if I were in Asaf’s shoes? The ethical challenges he faces make him a very relatable protagonist. You understand why he makes certain decisions, even if you don’t fully agree with them.

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Supporting characters need a special mention. The shadiness of a police officer, Ahmet Rıfat Şungar, brought an extra dose of tension. You know right from the beginning that something is just not right about him, and it’s interesting to see how this dynamic plays out with Asaf. Rıza Kocaoğlu, playing the antagonist Nashuh, was quite good. He’s scary, but not so over-the-top that he becomes camp. Burçin Terzioğlu and Saadet Işıl Aksoy gave a depth of emotion to the plot; their characters’ relationship with Asaf felt authentic.

Despite its strengths, Asaf does end up falling into some common crime-thriller tropes. Those who have watched shows on ordinary people getting caught up into the criminal underworld before could find parts of this fairly predictable. The execution is solid, but there is nothing new about the premise.

For me, the pacing bothered me also. The show does its work in the beginning where a significant part of time gets wasted on introducing Asaf as well as his background. Although I really appreciated the work towards building the depth of the characters, parts of action sequences didn’t give that intensity that they must. Dominated mainly by gunfights and car chases- not bad but after the course, they became repetitive; in the end, some brilliant twist or moments would really get me on edge sitting there.

Final Thoughts

Asaf is not a perfect show, but it has enough emotional and narrative strengths to make it worth watching. If you enjoy crime thrillers with a strong emotional core, this series will resonate with you. The performances, especially by Cihangir breathe much-needed life into a fairly standard premise, and gritty visuals keep you engrossed in the dark world surrounding the story.

With that said, there’s definitely reliance on tropes and uneven pacing for parts of the show, but the emotional weight from Asaf’s journey for me made up for all that. The bond he forms with the two children as well as the smart maneuvers to outsmart the enemies, along with the heavy moral dilemmas he faces keep one glued to the chair.

Would I recommend it? Yes, especially if you like stories that balance crime with family drama. While this is not groundbreaking, Asaf is entertaining and heartfelt enough to leave an impression.

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