- 1: True Crime Thriller
- 2: Great script and 3:
- Taron Egerton.
Black Bird It is an American crime drama limited series developed by Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River, Shutter Island and Gone Baby Gone. It’s based on the 2010 autobiographical novel In with the Devil: a Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption by James Keene and Hillel Levin. The six-episode miniseries premiered on July 8, 2022, streaming on Apple TV+.
Critics have praised the authenticity of the script and the talented ensemble cast. It has scored an approval rating of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and is the latest in an increasingly impressive list of Apple TV streaming shows, including Severance, Ted Lasso and Pachinko.
The serial killer genre has been around for decades – most recently hitting a high with the now cancelled Mindhunter – and it’s not difficult to find a new thriller centred around law enforcement chasing serial killers. Much like the acclaimed killer/thriller Netflix show Mindhunter, the difference that elevates Black Bird is that it is all completely true.
What is it Black Bird about?
Charming drug dealer Jimmy Keene is our man on the inside, charged with lengthy imprisonment due to an FBI raid, where they seized a Pablo Escobar-sized haul of drugs, cash, and weaponry from his lavish abode.
This likeable criminal seems to thrive on the inside but is still desperate for an out. His salvation comes from a bittersweet offering that Jimmy is initially reluctant to accept. He must pass a gruelling interview process and learn to empathize with this psychopath before transferring and meeting him. Jimmy is given the serial killer Larry Hall’s file and starts to do his homework, reading up on the murderer.
At the same time, we learned about the terrible murders and rapes that happened and the ones Larry is accused of committing, but he denies he did, and no proof exists that he did. Time is clicking before Larry is released.
Cast
Led by hotter than ever Taron Egerton who after appearing in the crime drama series Lewis, he was cast as the lead in Matthew Vaughn‘s Kingsman: The Secret Service, an action comedy film adaptation of the comic book The Secret Service by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, in 2013.
Creepier than ever Paul Walter Hauser (Larry). With the supportive cast including Greg Kinnear and Ray Liotta in his last role before passing away.
Paul Walter Hauser’s breakout role was arguably Richard Jewell in Clint Eastwood’s film of the same name in which he played a man falsely accused by the FBI of being responsible for the 1996 bombing of the Atlanta Olympics. But that’s not all he is a fantastic character actor who really had his first big movie with “I tonya”, since then he has become an A-list actor in Hollywood. He has a great range in comedy and drama, not very common these days. In this show, he changes his voice and his corporality. Very creepy guy to be honest.
A final thought about Black Bird
Another rewarding thing about Black Bird is how it uses its six-episode space. We’re in an era of the limited series in which most shows aren’t the best length, too often structured like a film script stretched to meet a mini-series form. But Black Bird uses its time to get under your skin. Apple is really bringing top-notch quality streaming tv, and it is getting better.
Although Black Bird isn’t a podcast or a documentary, Apple TV+ cashes in on the true crime craze with a series based on a true story – a story that might otherwise have seemed like it could only be told by Hollywood. Not so.
If you enjoy true crime shows, great acting and good drama, don’t miss this miniseries.
