Black Bird

Inspired by true events, Apple TV+’s latest drama The Black Bird tells the story of smooth-talking drug dealer Jimmy Keane’s (played by Taron Egerton) efforts to get suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter) to unveil the location of where he buried the bodies of the girls he killed. This portion of the show plays out as a gripping prison drama, with the leads giving excellent performances. Meanwhile, flashbacks leading up to Keane’s incarceration detail detectives Miller (Greg Kinnear) and McCauley’s (Sepideh Moafi) efforts to hunt and convict Hall. Together, both plot elements combine to create a taut crime thriller that never loses its momentum throughout the first three episodes. However, it’s the seeds of doubt that writer and showrunner Dennis Lehane plants throughout his script which makes for captivating viewing.

From Kingsman to Rocketman, Egerton continues to demonstrate his acting range as real-life convict Keane. Empathising with the protagonist’s predicament comes naturally, thanks to Egerton’s easy-going charms. Keane is a criminal who’s been involved in bad business. However, from the first scene, the script makes a point of showing he’s compassionate. This element of his character is further demonstrated in his relationship with his father (Ray Liotta) as the drama thickens.

Opposite Egerton is Walter’s soft-spoken Larry. Walter plays the character with a quiet menace that gives rise to a handful of disturbing exchanges. Hall is framed as the stereotypical serial killer with a difficult past and problems with mental health and women. However, where Black Bird makes things interesting is that the script always leaves room for doubt if he really is the killer he’s assumed to be or if the law has taken advantage of his impressionability. Either way, the writing taps into intriguing questions that hit on relevant issues.

Halfway into the six-part series, Black Bird gradually builds upon the surrounding drama in an unexpected fashion. A subplot involving blackmail does hamper the pacing somewhat, though at the midway stage it’s difficult to tell how much it will impact or influence the grander narrative.

Led by phenomenal performances from the central cast, Black Bird is a thrilling prison drama that slickly taps into wider issues to create a more thoughtful drama than audiences may expect. If the final episodes can sustain the momentum, Apple TV+ have a great limited series on their hands.

Andrew Murray

Black Bird is released on Apple TV+ on 8^th July 2022.

Watch the trailer for Black Bird here: