Portugal's bloodiest prison break meets disco-era Algarve swagger. Yeehaw, but make it Iberian.
Season 1 • Episode 8
LatestEarly 80’s. A group of criminal’s spreads terror across the Algarve with more than 20 bank robberies. The gang is led by a man they call "The Doctor" and a carpenter who earns the nickname of "The Cowboy". Captured and sentenced to 18 years in prison he becomes the protagonist of the bloodiest escape in Portuguese prison history.
Production
Sweaty, sun-bleached 80s Algarve aesthetic is *chef's kiss*
Acting
João Estima's cowboy carpenter energy is unhinged in the best way
Direction
Ivo M. Ferreira blends spaghetti western with Portuguese grit
Creator
Ivo M. Ferreira
João Estima
Faustino Cavaco
Ivo Canelas
Doutor
Adriano Luz
Godinho
Jani Zhao
Felicidade
Adriano Carvalho
Vítor
Gonçalo Waddington
Primo Amândio
Luísa Bacalhau
Filha de Cavaco
Isac Graça
Ligério
Carloto Cotta
Tonton
João Pedro Mamede
Aníbal
Pedro Carraca
Pires
Vera Moura
Cristina
Ana Bustorff
Betty
José Neto
Pai de Cavaco
Rui Morisson
Matos
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on real events from 1980s Portugal, when the Algarve's tourist boom created perfect cover for organized crime. The actual prison escape remains legendary in Portuguese criminal history.
Ivo M. Ferreira cast several actors against type specifically to subvert the 'noble bandit' trope common in Portuguese cinema—The Cowboy's moral ugliness is the point.
PT
