Aahana Swrup
Netflix’s ’10 Days of a Bad Man’ is a Turkish crime drama film directed by Uluç Bayraktar that charts a Private eye’s investigation full of mystery and intrigue. An old contact, Sir, hires Sadik, who goes by Adil now, to track down one of his targets, a wealthy local playboy, Ferhat Gönen. Paired up with his former acquaintances, Hüso and Zeynel, and employing young Pinar’s help for research, Sadik starts digging into his new case. However, plagued by grief following a recent accident, Sadik takes up another case in exchange for prescription drugs and explores the murder of a renowned businessman, Hasmet Köseoglu.
The film closely follows Sadik’s cases, each leading him down a different conspiracy. Simultaneously the narrative also delves into Sadik’s fraught past that continues to haunt him. In doing so, it creates an entertaining tale reminiscent of the neo-noir genre. Given the film’s focus on crime and private investigations, viewers must be curious to know if the film is based on a true story.
10 Days of a Bad Man is Based on a Series of Fiction Crime Novel
’10 Days of a Bad Man’ is not based on a true story. The film is the second installment in a trilogy of films and the direct sequel to ’10 Days of a Good Man.’ The films are based on the Sadik Demir series of fiction crime novels by the famous Turkish novelist Mehmet Eroğlu. Prior to the ‘Sadik Demir Series,’ Author Eroğlu already had a number of successful titles under his belt, including ‘Issızlığın Ortası’ and ‘Adını Unutan Adam.’
Initially, the ‘Sadik Demir Series’ started out as the author’s fiction lesson for a writing seminar he was heading at Umang Foundation. The idea for the story was designed in ten to twenty minutes to showcase the indulgence of fiction in theme and to provide an example of keeping action alive within the narrative. The idea ended up becoming such a good study that the author decided to write it into the novels they are today.
Although the books and the movies have their fair share of differences as per their respective mediums, the film’s characters and the themes remain faithful to the source material. The same is likely the case due to the author, Eroğlu’s, involvement in the film as the screenplay writer alongside Damla Serim. As such, the film presents an authentic book-to-movie adaptation of Sadik Demir’s character and storyline.
In this film, Sadık embodies the classic cutout of the Hardboiled Detective trope and embarks on his investigations as a cynical individual with little to nothing left to lose. Viewers will recognize this tormented detective character design as a common cliché within the crime genre. The most notable examples of the same would include ‘The Maltese Falcon’s’ Samuel Spade, one of the most iconic Hardboiled Detectives in cinematic history.
Likewise, Michael Fassbender’s Harry Hole from ‘The Snowman’ or Idris Elba’s titular character from ‘Luther’ present more contemporary instances of the same. Therefore, viewers are bound to get a feeling of familiarity from the film’s protagonist, Sadik/Adil. Apart from the same, the exploration of Sadik’s trauma and hardships helps the audience invest in the storyline and empathize with his character. Throughout the film, Sadik experiences borderline suicidal tendencies after losing a loved one. This storyline firmly cements him in realism and allows the viewers to connect to him despite his shut-off persona.
Nevertheless, neither Sadik’s character nor his experiences are based on reality. The film mines most of its authenticity from the narrative, which is infused with moral concepts of good, evil, loyalty, and betrayal. By instilling different characters and storylines with relatable traits or life experiences, the film encourages the audience to see themselves in the protagonists and root for them. However, outside of the same, the film is only a work of fiction with no tangible connections to real life.
Read More: Best Detective Movies of All Time
