'Poker Face' Review: Rian Johnson Follows 'Glass Onion' With Another Delicious Murder Mystery
If you liked the Netflix movie The Glass Bow and the Netflix TV show Russian Doll , you'll love the new series of Poker Face... but not on Netflix. Created by Rian Johnson and starring Natasha Lyonne, Peacock's murder mystery thriller is a magical return for anyone looking for more fantastical detective stories.
Having written and directed Knives Out and its sequel The Glass Arc, Johnson is an expert at reinventing the ever-popular mystery genre. Instead of Daniel Craig as the intrepid detective Benoit Blanc , the new series solves crimes with the loud and restless Charlie Cale Lyon. Like the muscle car that roams the Columbus trailer park, Charlie has an unerring ability to call the bulls--literally any time someone is lying.
The first four episodes of Poker Face are available now on NBC's Peacock streaming service. 10 new episodes are released every week. First, Peacock skillfully capitalized on the hype of Netflix's Johnson and the Glass Onion , which would cost Netflix millions and millions of dollars, and Lyon's love of Russian Doll, another Netflix hit. On the other hand, you can't help but think that more people would watch Poker Face if it were on Netflix. Why Netflix didn't make Poker Face is a mystery worthy of Benoit Blanc.
But let's get down to business. We first met Lyon's Charlie Keil as a loudmouthed casino waiter, glued to his phone and devouring conspiracy theories. His laid-back outlook on life is tested by the death of a friend, which pits him against commoners catered to by casino bosses (played by Adrien Brody and Benjamin Bratt), high rollers and other wealthy sharks. Like "Palm Knives" and "Glass Onion," this first episode is a great twisty thriller laced with dark humor and hints of elegant satire.
In later episodes, Charlie is on his way. Listen to an excerpt from the dinner scene in Pulp Fiction ("Walk the ground...like Kane in kung fu..."), a pop culture reference within a pop culture reference. Very meta - like a Russian doll.
The yellow headings and road format are reminiscent of old classics like Highway to Heaven. At the same time, the Midwestern setting, the crude comedic tone and the ambiguous protagonist are reminiscent of recent crime dramas such as Breaking Bad or Justified. It's also reminiscent of the Coen brothers' movies, where ordinary people are forced to do extraordinary (and brutal) things by greed, bad luck, and just plain stupidity.
In theory, when Charlie is on the road, you can watch the show in any order, as each week brings a new kill and a new cast. The murder element is more of a how-to than a detective story because, as with Columbo, the dirty business is seen at the start of each installment. But even though Charlie is our titular detective, watching him figure out what we already know is only part of the fun. The most interesting part of the series is figuring out why the murders happened, especially as the series teases new motives and suspects, unravels complicated stories, and pulls out the rug. And the fact that Charlie isn't actually a cop, but just a bystander with a confused sense of right and wrong adds an interesting twist, as justice can be weirder, cathartic, and even comical.
Unfortunately, the show doesn't get the idea, and it's very disappointing when the clever and nonsensical story ends when the police turn up thanks to another confession recorded on a hidden recording device. The downside to Charlie's unprofessional harassment is that the police are usually called after the crime, but Charlie is repeatedly left at the scene while people die. The device begins to wear almost immediately.
However, overcoming this terrible problem and showing it is a great pleasure. Charlie's presence is less important to the narrative, as each episode begins with a focus on killers and killers, with small skirmishes and skirmishes in long, quiet stretches until Charlie shows his face. These moral killer pieces take you into unique little worlds: a secluded road, a barbeque, a quaint village, full of quirky characters who peel the onion of means, motives and possibilities with clever twists.
While Johnson wrote and directed the early episodes and most of the series (co-produced by Maya Rudolph), it's also a showcase for other talented creators and directors. Episode 5, in which two aging retired hippies (the surprisingly honest S. Epatha Merkerson and Judith Light) discover that the past is catching up with them, is highlighted by director Lucky McKee's wandering golden photography and cinematographer Christine Ng.
Among the guest stars, Chloë Sevigny and Ellen Barkin are particularly good in their respective episodes (I saw the first six, which included stars like Cleo Duvall, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nick Nolte, Rhea Perlman, Ron Perlman, and Tim Blake Nelson). come on). Sevigny plays a sleazy rock star determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past with triumphant world-weariness, while Barkin plays a melodramatic actress. Hong Chow, who was nominated for an Oscar this year for his role in The Whale, is also very good in this scene during a very brief appearance.
Poker Face, in its weekly format, is somewhat of a throwback in many ways. Based on Lyon's most popular viewing spot and packed with enough twists to keep things interesting, Poker Face offers a very comfortable viewing experience.
