Dark Hearts, originally titled Cœurs Noirs and released in Spain as Fuerzas Especiales, is one of those series worth watching if you’re interested in something beyond the usual productions focused on American units. 

The story takes us to Iraq in October 2016, just before the Battle of Mosul. A French special forces team captures an important French member of Islamic State. To secure his cooperation, the team must locate and extract his daughter and grandson from the city. What follows is an operation mixing intelligence, infiltration, urban combat and decisions that don’t always have an easy answer. 

MUCH MORE REALISTIC THAN USUAL 

One of the strengths of Dark Hearts is precisely how its operators are portrayed. That’s no coincidence: the production worked with the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, the Commandement des opérations spéciales (COS) and several units. In addition, a former team leader from the 13e Régiment de Dragons Parachutistes (13e RDP) accompanied the project during both writing and filming as a military adviser. 

The main actors also went through an immersion phase with the 13e RDP, working alongside specialists connected to the roles they would later portray: team leader, medic, marksman, etc. You can see it particularly in the small details: how they move, communicate, handle their weapons and operate as a team. 

CQB, GEAR AND URBAN OPERATIONS 

For an airsoft player, this is probably where the series earns the most points. There’s plenty to look at in terms of plate carriers, helmets, communications, optics, rifle setups and individual equipment, but above all, how that equipment is actually used.

Building entries, movement through narrow streets, covering positions, sector security and coordination between operators are handled with considerably more care than in many action productions. That doesn’t mean everything shown is an exact recreation of a real operation: the production itself acknowledges that it combines real elements with fiction : but there is a clear effort to keep things believable.

AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE SEALS 

It’s also interesting simply because it changes the scenery. We’re used to seeing SEALs, Delta Force or Rangers in practically every modern military series. Here we get doctrine, equipment and an aesthetic that are unmistakably French. 
That alone makes Dark Hearts refreshing for anyone who has already watched SEAL Team, The Unit or similar productions. 
The first season premiered in 2023, and the story continues in a second season, where Commando 45 must deal with the kidnapping of one of its members while the DGSE, France’s foreign intelligence service, also becomes involved. 

If you like special forces, CQB and modern tactical gear, this is one of those series where you’ll probably end up pausing a few scenes just to see what the operators are wearing.