Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Benjamin Bratt, Simon Helberg, Adrian Brody, Ellen Barkin, Nick Nolte, Chloë Sevigny, Dascha Polanco, Noah Segan, Ron Perlman, Luis Guzmán, Hong Chau, Tim Meadows, Megan Suri, Colton Ryan, John Ratzenburger, Brandon Michael Hall, Judith Light, S. Epatha Merkerson, Tim Russ, Tim Blake Nelson, Joseph-Gordan Levitt, Clea Duval, David Castañeda, Lil Rel Howery, Danielle Macdonald, Shane Paul McGhie, Larry Brown, Jameela Jamil, Audrey Corsa, Charles Melton.
From a British point of view, the American road movie in all its guises is one that enthrals, captivates an intrigue with persistence. The simple fact is that as a nation we don’t have the capacity to understand the sheer scope of what a person faced with an immense problem, with nothing but time on their hands, can do with a richness of empty road in which to plan their continued escape from the modern-day dangers that stalk them.
When coupled with a murder mystery that dogs the protagonist, the sense of difference is overwhelming. It is a stretch to think of a person driving from Truro to Cardiff, onwards to Norwich, up to Stirling, and then hauling their cargo down to Hayling Island as they escape the people who are chasing them; it is an absurdity to which there is only one release, that of the American highway system and the infinite wilderness that can cover the tracks of one n the run.
Natasha Lyonne has been a long-standing favourite of many, her roles have been gritty, humorous, full of depth and fierce truth, but even with credits and main lead roles in Orange Is The New Black, the American Pie trilogy and the superb But I’m A Cheerleader, her performance as Charlie Cale in Poker Face is undoubtedly her finest to date.
There is a sense of perfect loner within the performance, the essence of Kerouac digging every word out of the American drifter life, one pushed on her as she escapes from the threat of being killed by a casino owner, and in which the likes of Columbo or the televised version of the Hulk hangs over her life as she uncovers the true murderers who cross her path on her way. The loner, the miles between cities, the ability to go off grid, it is everything a British television audience can wish for…the murder mystery of the week with a superb lead shining the way.
Natasha Lyonne shines like never before, but perhaps some of that wonderful lustre comes from her ability to call upon some seriously and critically lauded actors to her cause, as well as her lavish ability to hold the attention of the viewer with absolute conviction.
As Charlie Cale criss-crosses the nation, she finds herself in scenarios which only she, as someone who has a unique gift of being able to call out on a person’s lie, can solve, and whilst she takes no credit, needing to remain anonymous, those who cross her soon finds themselves at the mercy of the authorities. The resemblance to the ideals set out with Bill Bixby as the stranger who solves problems with an extraordinary ability is telling, is lavish with narrative wealth.
With actors such as Ellen Barkin, Nick Nolte, Chloë Sevigny, S. Epatha Merkerson, and Tim Blake Nelson all appearing across the series, the essence of the road is glorious, and for those who maybe have experienced just a minute moment of what it is like to put your bag own for a couple of days before taking off again via a Greyhound bus or even on the back of a motorbike as the American highway opens up before them, the scale of adventure that is drawn upon in Poker Face is heartening, illuminating, and dangerously addictive.
For Natasha Lyonne the time has come to be truly lauded for leading a series, a murder mystery of the week that is a tremendous watch.
Ian D. Hall