An Intriguing Dance with Darkness in "Black Bird"
The series base on the real story of Jimmy Keene, a man sent prison, where FBI offers him to reduce his prison sentence by extracting one killing confession from the suspect named Larry Hall. In the middle of a life-and-death game of chess that plays out in the mind, Keene has to tiptoe through a maximum-security prison for the criminally insane to understand Hall in order to solve the killings.
Black Bird is able to depict the true nature of crime and morality as well as the essential elements of the narrative such as redemption, deception, and the infamous scales of good and evil. Much like the original novel, the tone of the show is serious and provocative, there is continuous build up of tension even during every episode. This is because it shifts one’s perception on right and wrong and thus develops a rather intricate approach to analyzing morality when handling a case of justice.
The lead actor, Taron Egerton, gives his best in portraying Jimmy Keene who is trapped between justice and his life. Paul Walter Hauser gave a tour de force performance as Larry Hall, genuinely peculiar and lingering in the way that is both eerie and convincing. The other characters such as Sepideh Moafi, Greg Kinnear and the veteran, Ray Liotta give the story many shades by their powerful performances.
Starring Joe Chappelle, Michaël R. Roskam, Jim McKay writing, Black Bird features a well-balanced and systematic flow. The directors manage to create a highly tensed environment intrinsic to the plot of the series.
The musical used in Black Bird is quite subdued, but amazingly evoking a strong psychological and emotional mood reflecting on the story.
Last but not least, the overall cinematography is brilliant, featuring both the confining shots introduced into Keene’s troubled psychological state, as well as the wide shots that embody his external conflict. Lighting and shadow are used to bring the mood and tighten up the imagery around Keene coming down to a maximum-security prison and bearing out his treachery as it adds beauty to the scenes.
Production design is applied to portray the prison in realistic manner, which serves valuable contribution to this series. Details of surroundings are very well accentuated this deepens the experience as perceived in the show.
As for special effects in Black Bird, they are used moderately effectively to support crucial scenes with tension without becoming the focus of the show.
The work in the show is well edited, well-paced and fast enough to keep all the viewers engaged while it easily moves from self-reflecting scenes to dramatic ones.
Like it.utilities Black Bird This methodical approach provides the viewers with moments that allow them to grasp the show’s psychological subtlety.
The dialogues in Black Bird are also well worked through, leaving none of the scenes pointless, and offering viewers smart and meaningful conversations. Contrastive to many other aspects of the series, the talks between Keene and Hall are memorable, as all the psychological and emotional tension is present.
But despite those and the other strengths of Black Bird, the script is based too much on many cliches present in crime thrillers, and because of that, the key moments of the series are often rather predictable. Further, the level of intensity may not suit all audiences especially those who are not a fan of intense psychologically charged stories. I found it both interesting and chilling, as the series tries to plunge deep into the minds of the characters and their difficult choices. Watch it for the performances, especially those of Egerton and Hauser, then enjoy this one as yet another crime-drama series to binge on. Interestingly, the series has a certain psychological impact that stays with the viewer long after the last episode; that is why the series is memorable within the context of the genre.
