Nic Pizzolatto - where did it all go wrong?
Having written in defense of the much derided second series of True Detective, I feel like Ive got egg on my face. I argued the fantastic first series had earned our respect and time, hoping it all would be worth it. The 90 minute denoument did not deliver in so many ways.
Colin Farrell as the main male character, conflicted, self loathing bent cop Ray, he seems to be all about his ginger haired, podgy and uninterested 10 year old son. Having survived so many shoot outs, and with freedom, the girl and the money a 30 minute drive to the port away, he puts it all in peril just to take a last look at the boy, in the playground at school. You know, as he pulls off the freeway, that this is a fatally bad move. Sure enough, he returns to the car to see a transponder's red light flashing under the door, and petrol all over the road. Why then does he get in and press on ? Are all his options now used up ? I guess so. But why do it in the first place? This has not been Colin Farrell's finest hour - he has been OK in "In Bruges" and Terence Mallicks tale of Indians and white men trying to come to terms with each other, "The New World". You cant blame him for signing up to follow in Matthew McConaugheys footsteps. His role as Rust in series 1, along with the fabulous Dallas Buyers Club, redefined his career. How to go from lame romcom crumpet to serious, charisma zone central, look at those two roles. It has not worked that way for Farrell.
Nor has it worked for Vince Vaughn. Stuck in career limbo land like MM had been, he may have hoped this role as gangster number 1 Frank, would relaunch him as a cool actor. Afraid not. The character was an anachronism; a stuffed shirt macho man of suits and ties, trophy girlfriend and must win every showdown - never back down values. The thing is, he is operating in the new world of internet crime, Mexican desperadoes and Russian money. If you want a 2015 version of a crime lord, just look at Gus in Breaking Bad. That is original. Frank's comeuppance is so predictable, but the way he refuses to take his suit off and gets stabbed and left to die in the desert, seems so unnecessary. Give the man the suit and walk away . Its worth backing down to have your life spared. His denoument is nearly as painfully drawn out as his parting with his girlfriend , played by Kelly Reilly.
"Just go, I will see you in two weeks..." he tells her.
"No, I wont leave you". It goes on and on. Kelly Reilly - one question; what made you take such a lame duck role ? You have gone down in Hollywood's list of powerplayers and desirable actors to sign up, like Vaughn.
Rachel Mcadams was the star of the show as Ani. The finale seemed to side line her from the action. Someone needed to tell writer Pizzolatto to give her more to do. She could have gone and found out what happened to the missing kids and diamonds. Instead she twiddled her thumbs in a motel room while the two remaining male protagonists tried to take on the bad guys on their own. The last episode had ended so stunningly with the really bad cop shooting our new hero, as played by Taylor Kitsch, in the back. "No !" we cried. But the finale, with the twists of the plot so often resolved by someone telling someone else what had happened, never reached these heights of audience involvement.
If you have run out of money, time or inspiration, cut it short. I still hope we get a series 3, but keep it simple, stupid. This take on California noir added so little that was new to the genre. Chinatown and LA Confidential did it so much better, not to mention the daddies of the genre; The Maltese Falcon and The Long Goodbye. Chandler or Hammet you are not, Mr Pizzolato. Be yourself, but better.
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