Revenge is a dish best served bloody in the original Netflix German seriesKleo. With a ravenous female assassin dressed in neon blue and red tracksuits, the spy thriller series hasQuentin Tarantinowritten all over it. A stylish ’90s period piece, the series premiered on the streamer in 2022 and has recently been renewed for a third season. Jam-packed with dark humor and brutal brawls, it’sone of the streamers' best action seriesand best-kept secrets from American audiences.
KleostarsJella Haaseas the titular vengeful killer, and her character is like a spiritual sister toUma ThurmaninKill Billwith her knives, athletic wear, and slaying of men. Created byHanno Hackfort,Richard Kropf, andBob Konrad,Kleohasthemes of female rage and empowerment. Also, for history buffs, it comes at a defining moment in history after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, and from the fashion to music to raves, it’s got the best of the booming party scene in Germany at the time. Spoken entirely in its native language, if audiences can embrace reading subtitles, it’s worth the watch.
What is ‘Kleo’ About?
Kleo, an East German spy, begins the series by assassinating a target at a nightclub under order and is framed by her superiors. Pregnant and in a relationship with fellow spy Andie Wolf (Vladamir Burlakov), when she is betrayed and sent to jail, Kleo loses her baby, sending her on the warpath once she’s released after the fall of the wall in 1990.Murdering those who framed her, an amateur police officer who works in the fraud department, Sven (Dimitrij Schaad), becomes obsessed with Kleo and the mission she’s on. He goes rogue, tracking Kleo as he discovers all the people she plans on killing, and the two form an obsessive fascination with each other. When the fellow former eastern spy, Uwe (Vincent Redetski), is sent to eliminate Kleo, it turns into a bloody mess.
‘Kleo’s Raging Female Assassin Sets Up a Bloody Revenge Tale
As Kleo, Haase isterrifying but endearing all at once, conveying a childlike wonder and playfulness that makes her bursts of violence all the more thrilling. One of her wildest stunts shows Kleo watching in delight as an explosive device she attached to her target’s jacket blows him up in a swimming pool. It’s jarring and tragic,but the show is uncompromising in its brutal portrayal of Kleo, which makes it compelling.
There’s also the element of espionage, as the fantastic get-ups that Haase gets to wear add tothe sharp style and Tarantino feel. By relying on wigs, glasses, and even veneers, the series creatively uses disguises that would be the standard in the early ‘90, contributing to the dark comedic undertones. The most ridiculous disguise Kleo wears is a gray-wigged perm that adds a light flavor to the dark series.Most notable, though, is her tracksuit, which becomes her uniform as a grim reaper, and the series uses it as a character itself. Kleo donning the blue track pants or sweatshirt signals that death is coming for someone.
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While the German series has a unique mix of violence and comedy,Kleofeels familiar, especially to fans of the Tarantino filmKill Bill. Kleo goes on the warpath because a brutal attack caused her to lose her child while in prison. She blames the people who got her locked up and swears vengeance. Similarly,Thurman’s the Bride inKill Billis reuniting with her daughter, who was taken from her by the father, Bill (David Carradine). Both stories focus on the price of motherhood. The emotional weight makes for more than just an exciting spy thrillerbut an engaging examination of the patriarchy and what happens when women bite back at the hands that struck them first.In both these cases,Kill BillandKleofind that society doesn’t like it when women fight back, and the result is lots of carnage, often due to men’s actions.
While the series is gritty, Sven provides some light. He is like the spitting image of a wacky, terribly dressedInspector Clouseau, played byPeter SellerfromThe Pink Panther, and evolvesKleointo a charming cat and mouse chase. As the series goes on, the two form an unlikely friendship while remaining enemies, creating more comedy. He and Haase add screwball comedy to the series, with bickering matches, dropping of guns that go off, and cartoon-like explosions. There’s a delightful scene in Season 1 where Sven pops up from the back seat of Kleo’s car and shows her a list of all the men he knows she has or plans to kill. The scene’s brilliance is in the silence. Kleo calmly sits in the driver’s seat as Sven rambles on, serving the exact antithesis to him. She then grabs his notepad and writes down her next target: Sven. Just her presence is a threat, and she’s a weapon herself. There’s also Uwe, who looks and acts like he’s just walked out of a Quentin Tarantinomovie and ultimately adds to the fun bloodbath that isKleo.
Kleo is streaming on Netflix in the U.S.
