Santo – Netflix Series Review

SANTO on Netflix is a new thriller-crime series in six episodes. It’s brutal right off the bat, so be ready for that. The plot involves a crime lord involved with Satanic rituals and sacrifices. Read our full Santo series review here and watch it on Netflix now!

SANTO is a new Netflix series in the thriller, action, crime, and drama genres. It’s an original Netflix co-production between Spain and Brazil, which is an obvious decision as the story plays out in both countries.

The title refers to a drug dealer (who’s more of an actual crime lord), who is so mysterious that no one has ever seen his face. He is however known as both criminal and guru with a huge following. And by the end of episode 1, you’ll know that he is very brutal.

Continue reading our Santo series review below. The thriller series is released on Netflix on September 16, 2022.

A crime thriller with a Satanic twist

As though a thriller with a crime plot featuring the trafficking of both drugs and people isn’t enough, there is also the Satanic twist. The crime boss, Santo, performs rituals where kids are found in pieces. In episode 1, we learn that all the pieces of the child’s body are there. Except for the brain!

And yes, episode 1 also ends on quite the twist (or cliffhanger, if you will), so you should definitely be ready to continue. If you watch the trailer, there is also plenty there to make you want to keep watching.

The whole superstition via human sacrifice in Satanic rituals is a great addition to this being a tight crime-thriller. However, it obviously won’t be for everyone due to its brutal nature. As a Spanish-Brazilian production, there is a lot of very direct imagery, so be ready for that.

Quite a few familiar faces

This Netflix production has definitely also secured some strong names for the cast. In one of the lead roles, we have Raúl Arévalo as the police officer Millán. From the very beginning, you’ll know that he isn’t entirely good. A great role for Raúl Arévalo who you might recognize from Marshland (2014), which was recently remade, or The Warning (2018).

Raúl Arévalo plays the Spanish main character, while Bruno Gagliasso portrays the Brazilian main character of Cardona. Both are police officers chasing Santo. Bruno Gagliasso was also in the 2020 sci-fi drama Loop.

Other key characters, that I won’t go into much here to avoid spoilers, are portrayed by Maarten Dannenberg (Silencio), Victoria Guerra (Auga Seca), and Greta Fernández (HBO series 30 Coins).

Watch the Santo series on Netflix now

Carlos López is the creator of the new Netflix series Santo. He previously wrote for the Netflix series Hache and also La embajada which starred Spanish horror darling Belén Rueda. Aside from Carlos López, we also have Miguel Ángel Fernández and Gustavo Lipsztein (Dead in the Water) writing on the series.

The directors in this season (which will probably be the only one, since it’s a mini-series, but you never know) are Vicente Amorim (Yakuza Princess) and Gonzalo López-Gallego (Open Grave).

Santo has six episodes and, as always with Netflix, you can watch them all now. Each episode is around 45 minutes, so it’s the kind of series you could easily binge-watch over a weekend if the mood strikes you.

Santo is out on Netflix globally from September 16, 2022.

Details

Creator: Carlos López
Directors: Gonzalo López-Gallego, Vicente Amorim
Screenwriters: Carlos López, Miguel Ángel Fernández, Gustavo Lipsztein
Cast: Raúl Arévalo, Bruno Gagliasso, Victória Guerra, Greta Fernández, Thomas Aquino, María Vázquez