Black Bird Review: Taron Egerton's pulpy prison thriller is uplifted by the cast's haunting performances

Black Bird

Black Bird Cast: Taron Egerton, Ray Liotta, Paul Walter Hauser

Black Bird Creator: Dennis Lehane

Streaming Platform: AppleTV+

Black Bird Stars: 3.5/5 

If there's one genre that seems to be overflowing with content at the moment it's without a doubt true crime. At a time when the fan base for the genre also seems to be at its highest. After the likes of The Serpent, Ted Bundy tapes and more that have tapped into the psyche of serial killers, AppleTV+'s Black Bird takes a slightly different approach as it combines the theatrics of the genre with the gruesome realities of its true story in a manner that's engaging and particularly enjoyable thanks to its cast. 

Developed by crime writer Dennis Lehane, the show is based on James Keene’s 2010 memoir In With the Devil. Apart from the series' haunting subject, the thing that makes it a poignant watch also happens to be the fact that it features late actor Ray Liotta in his final TV appearance. Liotta's presence adds to the show's sombre theme and makes us marvel at his craft that will be truly missed. It's a delight to watch him bid adieu with a character that leaves its impact on us much like his entire career. 

The key responsibility of keeping this story afloat though lies on the shoulders of Taron Egerton who stars in the lead role of Jimmy Keene. Capturing Keene's charmingly arrogant drug dealer who is the son of a long-serving police officer Big Jim (Ray Liotta). Jimmy's high-flying life takes an unwanted turn after his house is raided and soon he finds himself behind the bars for 10 years in the slammer. Although a surprising proposition makes its way towards Keene to provide him with a jail-free card but with a rather hefty price. Jimmy (Egerton) is approached by FBI agent Lauren McCauley (Sepideh Moafi) who asks him to move to the maximum-security facility, populated by the criminally insane, asking him to befriend and elicit a confession out of suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser about the whereabouts of his victims' burials. Jimmy's easygoing nature and his natural ability to pique interest make him a possible weapon that the FBI decide to use to catch hold of Hall who is accused of the abduction and murder of several young girls. While Jimmy initial reaction is "Not for all the fucking money in the world" he soon takes up on the offer. It's a strange game of justice that Keene has to play to seek his own freedom. 

One of the show's strongest points lies where we see Jimmy and Larry's unlikely bond building up. Larry's confessions particularly leave a strong impact as we learn about his hauntingly criminal ways of hurting his victims. The six-hour expanse of the series gives every character to make their presence felt. The thing on the other hand that doesn't work for the series is its flashback sequences which take us through the story of Brian Miller (Greg Kinnear) who was the original investigator who put Larry into the prison. The dialogues also remain the strongest when it comes to the exchanges between Larry and Jimmy's characters. The writing in these portions is crisp and it plays on your mind as you are forced to introspect on ideas of criminal justice and innocence. With Larry's cognitive deficiencies it seems difficult to tell what's truth and lie and all through the show, there's enough that happens to keep you on heels when it comes to questioning motives and confessions. 

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For Black Bird, its performances are what truly take the show to another level. Taron Egerton who impressively took on the task of playing Elton John in the singer's biopic brings to the show, a natural charm as Jimmy whose unnerving confidence dwindles when he's forced to form a criminal companionship that keeps him on the edge.  Paul Walter Hauser further brings his A-game as he effectively conveys the troubled mind of Larry Hall. Hauser's act is multi-dimensional as he builds chilling moments with his physical as well as vocal abilities to convey the disturbing nature of his acts. Hauser could very well find himself in the running for awards for his performance in this one. There's also Ray Liotta's emotional performance that stays with us long after the show is over. Kinnear and Moafi also seem well cast for their roles.

Black Bird comes across as a limited series that perfectly captures Keenes' story and keeps you engaged all through. While the storytelling that shifts between past and present does seem to lose its way in the middle, the show makes comebacks when it sticks to Larry and Keene's developing bond. The six-episode series makes for a puppy prison show that has all the right elements to induce awe and disgust all at once when it comes to its shocking story.