nyfree

It's kind of like someone who took notes during Scorsese's Master Class directed a Tommy Wiseau screenplay based off a dinner with a nostalgic George Foreman.

It's 3 act structure as we've always seen it and I'm sure the man's life probably had a lot more in it we could actually connect with, but this movie connects less than cellphones in Alaska. I'd love to believe life is that surface-level for someone, ever... but it just isn't. Comic book movies are more convincing these days. The story reads like something from a barstool at 1:30am that's most likely rooted in fact but has been hit heavy with the nostalgia paintbrush and glosses over everything that makes a story real. I did zero research to check if I'm right, I just doubt anyone making this movie did either... but I'm sure if you watch it you'll see what I mean. The dark night of the soul can be something more than a trope we've heard 10k times that also secretly makes the subject good about themselves.

I don't usually get roped into political thrillers but this one had me hooked and searching when/if there will be another season. It's not all politics but the bit there is may seem familiar. It is a political/action/mystery/drama thriller with a dash of romance sprinkled on before they capped it with the kitchen sink. Richard Madden (who knocked it out of the park) called the writer "a genius" and I can see why. It was notable to me how genuine the characters were written, they behaved like humans do which is satisfying to watch (especially between Budd and Home Secretary Montague). Each episode had great thrills and twists that made six episodes too short for me, but it was a great ride. It is a story with enjoyable characters you can identify who are faced with edge-of-your-seat problematic mysteries that are resolved in brilliant ways in a story that runs deep. Loved it and hope there's a season 2 of equal quality and a higher episode count. It's one of those things you watch that afterwards it still affects you, so I drove my wife to work feeling like her bad@$$ PPO ready for anything.