But still a very solid show. I'm not familiar with the 70's film which is probably a good thing because Condor really surprised me. I like Max Irons alot - I thought he did a great job as Edward IV in the White Queen. That performance made me want to see more of his work.
First, let me say, Epix needs to do a better job of reaching audiences. There is far too much content out there to slack on marketing. More importantly, if they have more shows at the caliber of this one then Epix owes it to their showrunners, casts etc to promote promote promote!
Okay. CONDOR. This series is intense, brutal and has no more love for what we thought were mainstay characters than the early seasons of Game of Thrones. Without spoiling anything I'll say this... Almost no one is safe on this show. I love when a show's writers take big swings and risks! It shows they aren't hacks like the majority of the industry.
The cast - now this is what really pulled me in. Max Irons like I said... but when I saw William Hurt then Mira Sorvino -- I actually did a double take. Won't lie, I had a crush on Mira Sorvino when I was a little kid... Replacement Killers anyone? Kristen Hager is great too. Been a fan of hers since Wanted and Being Human. I have to say all of the characters are really well written... these archetypes get annoying and cliche almost immediately in other shows but not here.
Kristen Hager's character is a great example of this as the wife that doesn't know her husband quite as well as she thinks. Not only is it written well but she's such a gifted artist that she somehow makes you feel like you haven't seen this story or character before. Her character is a victim but even in her lowest moments she still seems much more powerful than we might have thought. I've seen Hager in a few different projects and I believe this to be innate in her... whatever that power is - it comes through in her characters. She might have the appearance of a karen-esque waspy 30-something white chick but there is some serious badassery underneath it.
Leem Lubany - her character could've easily ruined the entire series if there had been any usual missteps(you'll understand when you watch) - making a 5 foot nothing 110lb woman the most dangerous character in your show is a risk. If you have her doing any kung-fu bs and taking down 6'5 280lb men with her bare hands... you better have a Marvel stamp on your poster or i'm turning your show/film off immediately. However, the writers make every situation she's in believable(up until the very end). Lubany does her best Bardem in No Country impression throughout the series and honestly... it mostly works. I bought it.
The ending...had to take points off for this. They didn't lose me but the show did really test my suspension of disbelief. One of the strongest aspects of Condor is that these somewhat ridiculous situations are quite grounded which makes them digestible if not believable.
However, the ending kinda poo-poo's on that. I had a hard time buying that after the events we just witnessed Iron's character go through that at the end we'd essentially find him in a similar mental state as we met him. Moreover, really hard to believe he'd be as casual on a phone call with a character that was the cause of the worst trauma you could imagine. Actually, it seemed like there was almost a friendship developing... which just didn't make any sense whatsoever. This part... reminded me that I was definitely watching a tv show.
First, let me say, Epix needs to do a better job of reaching audiences. There is far too much content out there to slack on marketing. More importantly, if they have more shows at the caliber of this one then Epix owes it to their showrunners, casts etc to promote promote promote!
Okay. CONDOR. This series is intense, brutal and has no more love for what we thought were mainstay characters than the early seasons of Game of Thrones. Without spoiling anything I'll say this... Almost no one is safe on this show. I love when a show's writers take big swings and risks! It shows they aren't hacks like the majority of the industry.
The cast - now this is what really pulled me in. Max Irons like I said... but when I saw William Hurt then Mira Sorvino -- I actually did a double take. Won't lie, I had a crush on Mira Sorvino when I was a little kid... Replacement Killers anyone? Kristen Hager is great too. Been a fan of hers since Wanted and Being Human. I have to say all of the characters are really well written... these archetypes get annoying and cliche almost immediately in other shows but not here.
Kristen Hager's character is a great example of this as the wife that doesn't know her husband quite as well as she thinks. Not only is it written well but she's such a gifted artist that she somehow makes you feel like you haven't seen this story or character before. Her character is a victim but even in her lowest moments she still seems much more powerful than we might have thought. I've seen Hager in a few different projects and I believe this to be innate in her... whatever that power is - it comes through in her characters. She might have the appearance of a karen-esque waspy 30-something white chick but there is some serious badassery underneath it.
Leem Lubany - her character could've easily ruined the entire series if there had been any usual missteps(you'll understand when you watch) - making a 5 foot nothing 110lb woman the most dangerous character in your show is a risk. If you have her doing any kung-fu bs and taking down 6'5 280lb men with her bare hands... you better have a Marvel stamp on your poster or i'm turning your show/film off immediately. However, the writers make every situation she's in believable(up until the very end). Lubany does her best Bardem in No Country impression throughout the series and honestly... it mostly works. I bought it.
The ending...had to take points off for this. They didn't lose me but the show did really test my suspension of disbelief. One of the strongest aspects of Condor is that these somewhat ridiculous situations are quite grounded which makes them digestible if not believable.
However, the ending kinda poo-poo's on that. I had a hard time buying that after the events we just witnessed Iron's character go through that at the end we'd essentially find him in a similar mental state as we met him. Moreover, really hard to believe he'd be as casual on a phone call with a character that was the cause of the worst trauma you could imagine. Actually, it seemed like there was almost a friendship developing... which just didn't make any sense whatsoever. This part... reminded me that I was definitely watching a tv show.