Black Bird 2022 review!

 

black bird, black bird 2022, Apple tv+

What would you do to gain your freedom? This question is asked by the Apple TV+ limited series Black Bird, which tells a true crime story. The series takes place in the nineties, and stars Taron Egerton as Jimmy Kane, a drug dealer who gets a chance to get out of prison, but for a great price. Black Bird turns the cat-and-mouse game upside down and combines a psychological thriller in prison with a detective story. Egerton stars as a prisoner who quickly loses his ego, as he leads an impressive cast, including the late Ray Liotta in one of his last roles, in a series that will leave you hooked through its entire six episodes.

Before this series I had never heard of Jimmy Kane or the man tasked with befriending him. Although it is not unusual to not know the finale of a series, I was surprised that I had never heard of this story or the book on which the series was based, titled "In With the Devil". This means that the more Jimmy goes down this dangerous path, the more stress and anxiety I feel. Even if you know the details of what happened, the surprises and twists of the story that unfold go at a good pace. Knowing that crime and soap opera writer Dennis Lehane wrote the script for the series indicates that he is in good hands. The series runs in a non-linear format where the timeline around Jimmy's unique situation intersects with the story of the original murder investigation in a way that weaves the past and present in a seamless and effective way.

The series presents a simple premise: Jimmy gets his freedom if he can extract a confession about the whereabouts of at least one of the victims of suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser). He will have to move to a maximum security prison for mentally ill criminals, but his 10-year sentence will be commuted if (and only if) he succeeds. It's a proposition that seems to be made for television and makes one stunned that such deals happen in the real world. This means that the possibility of Larry getting out of prison looms large in the series, which adds a sense of the importance of time and immediately raises tension.

When he realizes what they want him to do, says Jimmy, "You want me to go to Hell myself, befriend a damn demon, and simply ask him, 'Where did you bury 13 bodies?' I wouldn't take that for all the money in the world." Egerton's laughter at this scenario convinces us not to, but Federal Prosecutor Beaumont (Robert Wisdom) offers him something money can't buy. The cat-and-mouse game mentioned above also extends to the prisoner and those holding his freedom. Yes, a suspected serial killer targeting teenage girls may be walking the streets once again, but the methods used to get results are troubling, too.

Black Bird doesn't delve as much as I would like about the ethics of such prisoner shows and that prisoners like Jimmy are disposable, but it does raise awareness of these situations. It also condemns the murky and suspicious procedures used in the original investigation that led to this latest attempt to keep Larry behind bars.

What makes Jimmy special is that everyone loves him and gives him his heart. That's why the FBI chose him, and the actor playing the role must have this level of natural charm. Egerton rises to the occasion and presents the image of someone who can achieve whatever he wants through speech (except, of course, excluding his original judgment) and not only because of his impressive physique. It's a line that no one can walk on because he doesn't have to be overly arrogant and at the same time he has to be someone very convincing to prove why someone like him could talk to Larry.

But here he's not only having annoying conversations to get what he wants, Egerton also needs to give us fans a signal when Jimmy gets into trouble. The star delivers a magical performance by switching between neutrality and horror and even something that impressed him. And while Egerton will likely not be remembered by awards season, his performance is Emmy-worthy. Liotta gives an equally great performance as Jimmy's father every time he appears on screen.

Jim's father. is an ex-cop with a life of ups and downs, but he can't hide the physical and psychological effects his son's imprisonment has had on him, no matter how invincible he tries. The combination of vulnerability and ruthlessness is not an easy balance to strike, but the Liotta navigates this path smoothly and professionally. And Black Bird is a reminder of his ingenuity and the scale of this loss. There are flashback shots featuring Father Jim that can't quite match the intensity of the scenes between Liotta and Egerton, suggesting the strength of this duo without the need for additional scenes.

The timeline also cycles between scenes of the current day and several years ago at the beginning of Larry's interrogation. Greg Kinnear plays the detective we want to investigate a murder, but he's not completely infallible either. Detective Brian Miller is persistent. While other local cops believe that Larry is nothing more than a "harmless" freak who loves making confessions left and right, Brian can't let go of his belief that Larry is the culprit. The series doesn't offer simple answers at first, so when FBI agent Lauren McCauley (Sibedeh Maffei) begins to have doubts, Y. Moments like these raise the bar and leave us with more questions about how law enforcement addresses transnational issues. Lauren is a direct link to Jimmy because she's the one who recruits him, and she's one of the few people he comes in contact with during this dangerous mission, but that doesn't mean he can simply call her to let her know if he runs into any problems.

All the victims consist of teenage girls and young women and only the body of Jessica Roach (Lanny Stebbing) has been found. Miller may be the lead investigator in this gruesome murder, but his view alone is not presented. Crime stories tend not to pay much attention to the dead beyond their connection to the case or the alleged perpetrator. But Black Bird takes a different approach, which offers a uniquely painful perspective that eschews archetypal lore.

There is from the start a creative option that doesn't quite fit in with most of the six episodes. Egerton's voiceover at the beginning of Episode 1 is a quick way to set the scene, and the careless tone hints at Jimmy's jovial and nonchalant demeanor. But it seems as if the series is trying to resemble the Goodfellas movie. What doesn't help is that the series drops the narrative in the other episodes (except for one more episode with someone else's narration). But don't let this matter get to you as the series continues to present a unique true crime story with a cast that helps push the series further.

The series offers an interesting look at the criminal justice system, although it manages to delve deeper into certain aspects. Some things like flashbacks and voiceovers don't quite work, but overall, this is another great Apple TV+ series.